


Consequence

by Warp5Complex_Archivist



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-09-03
Updated: 2009-09-02
Packaged: 2018-08-15 22:32:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 23,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8075368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Warp5Complex_Archivist/pseuds/Warp5Complex_Archivist
Summary: A non-canon AU sequel to a Implications, this story takes place in the E2 universe. What if the crew stopped the sphere builders in that timeline? How far are they willing to go to save Earth? Would they risk collapsing a timeline that included their newly born children? What will be the consequences to the timeline that brought them to the Expanse? Includes T'Pol/Tucker, Archer/F, Malcolm/F, Hoshi/M.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Kylie Lee, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Warp 5 Complex](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Warp_5_Complex), the software of which ceased to be maintained and created a security hazard. To make future maintenance and archive growth easier, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2016. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but I may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Warp 5 Complex collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/Warp5Complex).
> 
>  **Author's notes:** Disclaimer: Paramount Owns Everything
> 
> Rating: PG-13
> 
> Author's Note: Implications was supposed to stick to AU canon and explain why Malcolm never found love. However, it got away from canon when I couldn't think of a reason why the crew wouldn't try and destroy the spheres.

Six months after the murder of Lesilia, the Enterprise found itself orbiting a sphere, far away from Ikkaria and the conflict. Tâ€™Pol and Malcolm had taken a shuttlepod into the interior to study the objects and determine if Enterprise could learn more about them and how they were causing the anomalies.

Studying the sphere had become one of Tâ€™Polâ€™s projects since the corridor. She split her time between her regular duties as first officer studying the spheres and taking care of her son - though the new shipâ€™s daycare was helpful in that respect. She also occasionally studied the corridor and how it had thrown them back in time, but that felt like going backward and not forward.

Since Lesiliaâ€™s death Malcolm had come to enjoy Tâ€™Polâ€™s company more than ever. All the other people on the ship treated him with pity or couldnâ€™t look him in the eye or didnâ€™t know what to say. Tâ€™Pol treated him as she always had.

Malcolm couldnâ€™t help thinking that this was one of many positives about Vulcan culture.

Yet, Vulcans hadnâ€™t yet mastered the British art of small talk. Tâ€™Pol hadnâ€™t said more than a word or two in the hour since they had docked.

As they walked around the empty, cavernous interior of the sphere, Malcolm decided to break the silence.

â€œHowâ€™s Lorian?â€

Tâ€™Pol looked up.

â€œI havenâ€™t seen him in a few days,â€ said Malcolm, â€œNot since Trip brought him to the mess hall on Sunday. He looked well then.â€

Tâ€™Pol blinked.

â€œHe is well,â€ she said, â€œTrip claims he is quiet for a human baby. I think he is rather emotive for a Vulcan baby.â€

Malcolm grinned.

â€œWell, besides the ears, heâ€™s starting to look a hell of a lot like his Dad,â€ said Malcolm.

â€œThat is to be expected. It is a function of evolution,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, who had, if anything, grown more attached to her son as he had come to resemble Trip.

Malcolm shook his head, and he wondered what Vulcans and Humans of this era would think about a hybrid child. Even in their era, inter species cross breeding was controversial. Now, the ship had a Denobulan/Human and a Vulcan/Human growing up on it. And given the Captainâ€™s ongoing attachment to Essilia, it was probably only a matter of time before a Human/Ikkaren child was born. Enterprise truly was going to be a brave new world, thought Malcolm. One he wouldnâ€™t be a part of, not now.

On a whim, Malcolm decided to move the conversation in a different direction.

â€œWhat do you think of Essilia?â€

Lesiliaâ€™s sister had, of late, dominated the captainâ€™s time. Even though there was nothing romantic between Tâ€™Pol and Archer, Malcolm wondered if she didnâ€™t feel as though her influence had somehow been usurped by the alien woman.

â€œShe has been a most helpful guide,â€ said Tâ€™Pol.

Malcolm nodded.

â€œDo you think sheâ€™s good for the captain?â€ asked Malcolm.

Tâ€™Pol raised that Vulcan eyebrow at him.

â€œMeaning?â€

â€œMeaning. . .do you think she makes him happy? Do you think sheâ€™s a good addition to the crew?â€

Tâ€™Pol reached down and adjusted her scanner. She carefully took the readings for a full five minutes. Then, she took a deep breath.

â€œShe is not a logical person. Ikkarens appear illogical in many ways, more so than humans. Think for a moment what happened to her sister. Such illogical violence does not speak well of the race. And Essilia herself appears to make decisions on instinct and pleasure rather than on reason and just cause,â€ said Tâ€™Pol slowly, â€œThankfully, however, the captain appears to appreciate logic as much as he ever has.â€

_Oh, I see_ , thought Malcolm. Essilia is the perfect person for the captain, as far as Tâ€™Pol was concerned. Essilia was welcome to the captainâ€™s romantic affections, but she had better not start giving him logical advice. That was Tâ€™Polâ€™s turf, and she would no doubt defend it.

Tâ€™Pol walked to the opposite end of the empty, echoing chamber. Ossarian pirates had not yet started using the spheres to store their stolen goods, and so room after room in the sphere was empty, lit only by the bizarre energy that powered the sphereâ€™s internal core.

Malcolm followed her.

â€œEvery sphere we have encountered produces the same readings,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, â€œItâ€™s fascinating.â€

â€œWell, if we ever need to stash anything,â€ said Malcolm, â€œWe could always do it here.â€

Tâ€™Pol nodded. She too remembered the pirate raid on Enterprise. It was clever of the Ossarians to use the spheres.

â€œSo far, we still have plenty of storage aboard the ship,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, â€œBut in the future we may just make use of these spheres.â€

Ironic, thought Malcolm, the sphere builders were ultimately responsible for so much of the horrors to come - yet there was nothing anyone of them could do about it.

Suddenly, Tâ€™Pol froze. She closed her eyes.

After what seemed to be a terribly long time, she opened them again.

â€œEnterprise has been hard hit with an anomaly,â€ she said, â€œCritical systems are down, including communications. We need to return at once.â€

Malcolm paused.

â€œHow do you know?â€

Tâ€™Pol looked at him.

â€œI just do. Now letâ€™s go.â€

*******

Shuttlepod Two flew out of the sphere and straight toward Enterprise. Tâ€™Pol shook her head. Neither warp nacelle appeared to be operational and the interior lights appeared to be on auxiliary power. Thankfully, life support was operational. The anomalies had posed so little problem since the corridor, they had all become complacent. She of all people should have remained vigilant.

_Are you still all right?_

_Yes. The warp engine is off line, but it looks like weâ€™ve got impulse engines._

_Where is Lorian?_

_Jay Mckenize took him. Not much for the MACOs to do right now._

_Good. Malcolm and I will dock shortly._

Tâ€™Pol glanced over at Malcolm, who was staring intently at her.

â€œHow did you know the ship was in trouble, again?â€ he asked â€œThe comm system was and is still down.â€

Tâ€™Pol took some readings from the sensors as Malcolm piloted them toward the launch bay. If she had been on a ship of Vulcans, this wouldnâ€™t be an issue. But she wasnâ€™t on a ship of Vulcans, she was on a ship of humans, and it didnâ€™t feel right keeping critical information from Malcolm. It was his concern, how she knew about the ship.

She sucked in her breath and went against her instincts. She told Malcolm the truth.

â€œVulcans have telepathic abilities. We. . .bond with our our mates. So, Trip was able to let me know that the ship had been damaged and that we needed to return.â€

Malcolm grinned and clapped his hand down on the controls. He laughed.

â€œI knew it! Something like that had to be going on. . I mean, the way you two work together - well. . .there had to be ...something.â€

Tâ€™Pol gave Malcolm a stern look.

â€œVulcans donâ€™t discuss this with non Vulcans. In fact, I was unsure such a bond was possible with a human. As it turns out, one is.â€

â€œWell,â€ said Malcolm, â€œThank you for confiding in me. It would have driven me crazy. . .if you hadnâ€™t.â€

Tâ€™Pol took a deep breath and punched more data into her scanner.

â€œYou are welcome. But I would appreciate it if you didnâ€™t say anything to anyone else. Itâ€™s not something I should be talking about.â€

Malcolm shook his head. Trip didnâ€™t strike his as the type of guy who could keep a secret, but maybe that had changed. Vulcans, unlike Ikkarens, Andorians and half a dozen other species he could think of, were totally different from humans. Keeping something like that a secret didnâ€™t make sense to Malcolm. On the other hand, it explained why Vulcans appeared to not express affection for their mates. He was certain that she had plenty plenty of love and affection for Trip, but why show it when you could send it telepathically? Trip certainly had been going where no human man had gone before, that was for sure.

Malcolm and Tâ€™Pol arrived in the launch bay to find the ship in chaos. Cargo was stuck to the wall, deck plating was twisted and warped, and sparks seemingly flew from everywhere.

Tâ€™Pol and Malcolm made their way to the bridge, and found the captain at Tâ€™Polâ€™s science station. He saw her return.

â€œGlad youâ€™re back,â€ he said, â€œThis anomaly came from nowhere - no warning. Was there any sign of activity on the sphere?â€

Tâ€™Pol shook her head.

â€œNothing, sir,â€ said Malcolm, â€œWhatever internal changes in the spheres internal mechanism during a graviton radiation emission werenâ€™t detectable by our sensors.â€

Bloody useless sensors, added Malcolm in his head.

*****

After six hours of assisting in repairs on the bridge and elsewhere, Tâ€™Pol entered sickbay and found Phlox milling around his animals.

â€œGood Morning, Commander. What can I do for you?â€

Tâ€™Pol looked around sickbay and made sure no one was there.

â€œI want to work on the inoculation for the Trellium-D. It appears that our pre-corridor calculations no longer work. Not-lining the hull will put the ship in danger,â€ said Tâ€™Pol.

Phlox examined Tâ€™Polâ€™s eyes and hands for any sign she had been using the toxic substance and found none.

â€œIt might take awhile,â€ said Phlox, â€œbut I could continue to research a possible inoculation. However, you must promise me you wonâ€™t try to synthesize your own. I donâ€™t want you anywhere near that poison.â€

Tâ€™Pol closed her eyes and images of the crew of the Seleya flitted through her mind. So did her early experiments with emotion - kissing Tripâ€™s clone, seducing the real Trip a few weeks later...then she thought of how she had fallen apart when the captain had gone on his suicide mission..how she had cried. . .no, no she could not ever expose herself to that substance again. With Tripâ€™s help, she had control over the new emotions - a place to focus them - but she new that any more damage to her neural pathways might kill her. She doubted a human, or a Denobulan for that matter, could understand.

But at this earlier juncture in the history of the Expanse, they hadnâ€™t yet mastered their avoidance techniques. Lining the hull needed to be an option, especially if the anomalies were going to start becoming more frequent.

****

Jon and Essilia lay in bed, both staring at the ceiling, and Porthos was curled up at the foot of the bed, fast asleep. Jon had long since told her everything about the Xindi mission. In fact, she had heard about it multiple times. Seven million humans dead, for no particularly good reason. It boggled her mind, and she did like the idea of helping Jon stop such an atrocity. She may not have been able to help her sister, but she could help Tripâ€™s sister as well as millions of others. Lesilia would have liked that.

â€œWe heard when their planet was destroyed not long ago. There are apparently thousands of refugee ships spreading out throughout this part of space. A watery moon three systems away has become home to a whole group of Aquatics. I believe they are building a city - an underwater city. There are apparently air pockets for visiting terrestrials like usâ€

Essilia was quiet for a moment and sat up.

â€œWhy donâ€™t you contact the Xindi and render aid?â€ said Essilia, â€œMake a good, human impression. Then, when these sphere builders try and convince the Xindi to destroy Earth - well, then theyâ€™ll have reason not to trust these - builders.â€

Jon thought that one through for a moment.

â€œWe canâ€™t take the chance that the sphere builders will just accelerate their plan. If they build the weapon now, it would alter the timeline irrevocably.â€

Essilia looked down at John.

â€œThe Xindi of this time period are hardly in a position to build a super weapon. Their focus is on survival . ..but you have a point. I suppose itâ€™s best to avoid anything that could tip off the sphere builders.â€

Essilia didnâ€™t know much about quantum mechanics, and according to John and his pointy eared first officer, the humans had limited knowledge of what the sphere builders knew and didnâ€™t know about the future. But it seemed that they had a sense of possible outcomes but had a difficult time discerning what events led to those outcomes, unless something like a massive Human/Xindi alliance made it crystal clear. Any attempt to contact the Xindi might have unintended negative consequences.

But, Essilia thought, there had to be a way to counteract the sphere builders without waiting over a century. She just hadnâ€™t thought of it yet.

****

Essilia stood in the Command Center, examining the scans of the sphere that the crew had made before and after the Enterprise had been thrown back in time. They were nearly identical. The spheres were close to a thousand years old, and therefor there was little difference between the before and after.

Tâ€™Pol arrived, wearing the purple uniform. Essila shook her head. The Vulcan liked to rotate her colors.

â€œIâ€™m glad you could come,â€ said Essilia, â€œIâ€™m no scientist. But I had a thought. Perhaps Jon - and by extension the rest of you - are focusing on the wrong goal.â€

Tâ€™Pol said nothing but walked up to the command screen and saw the scans of the spheres. If she found the Ikkaren womenâ€™s statement presumptuous, she didnâ€™t show it.

â€œJon is fixated on Earth - and stopping the Xindi. Thatâ€™s all he talks about, his only goal. But what if we stop the spheres? No sphere builders wanting to â€˜terra formâ€™ our galaxy - no need to deceive the Xindi into attacking Earth.â€

Tâ€™Pol raised an eyebrow.

â€œYou believe our goal should be to destroy the spheres,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, â€œRather than stop the future attack.â€

Essilia smiled.

â€œPrecisely,â€ said Essilia, â€œI just have no idea how we would do it. If we destroy one - that will hardly achieve our goals. But if we could somehow figure out a way to neutralize them or destroy all of them at once with a chain reaction....but Iâ€™m a real dunce when it comes to complex physics. I barely understand how my own warp drive works - Iâ€™m really just a pilot.â€

Tâ€™Pol looked up at the scans and remembered, a year earlier in the dream-like time before the corridor, trying to figure out a way to destroy the spheres. Then, came Azati Prime and the reptilian attack nearly destroying the ship. And, the Trellium-D nearly destroying her.

â€œI suppose it couldnâ€™t hurt to study the idea,â€ said Tâ€™Pol.

â€œI havenâ€™t said anything to Jon yet,â€ said Essilia, â€œI donâ€™t want to get his hopes up if it turns out its not feasible. He has so much on his mind . . .I guess nobody ever expects to be the leader of a group of temporal exiles.â€

Tâ€™Pol picked up a PADD and brought up some data. She compared it to the scans, and wondered if the waves of graviton radiation emitted by the spheres could somehow be harnessed against them and their makers. Tâ€™Pol liked the idea, there was poetic logic to it.

Essilia brushed her dark hair from her face and studied the Vulcan. Humans were easy to understand. They were passionate, much like the Ikkarens. But the notion of emotional suppression went against everything that was Ikkaren. On the other hand, thought Essilia, if Ikkarens had mastered their emotions, her sister would still be alive.

â€œThereâ€™s one other thing,â€ said Essilia, â€œMy late sister worked with a professor - a physicist on Ikkaria who spent his life studying these spheres and their connection to the spacial anomalies that have been tearing up this region of space. If anyone can help you figure a way to use those spheres to save Earth - he will.â€

Tâ€™Pol raised her eyebrow.

â€œThat would mean returning to your world,â€ said Tâ€™Pol.

â€œIt would be dangerous,â€ said Essilia, â€œBut itâ€™s something. And we would have to go soon. The man was elderly when I met him five years ago. Iâ€™m not even sure heâ€™s alive.â€

Tâ€™Pol nodded.

â€œI agree that until we have a sense of the plausibility of destroying the spheres,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, â€œWe should not approach the Captain. But I will continue to study the matter.â€

***

That night, Tâ€™Pol returned to her quarters after picking up Lorian from the daycare of deck two. She placed him in a carrier and assessed his well-being. She would never smile at the boy, but she enjoyed making him smile - something she would not have done had the childâ€™s father been a Vulcan. But Lorian, pointed ears or not, was half human. She covered her face with her hands, then slowly revealed her face to the child.

Lorian squealed with delight.

â€œPeek-a-boo,â€ said Tâ€™Pol in a monotone voice, covering her face again.

When she slowly revealed in again, more squeals of delight. Then, Lorian reached up and grabbed a piece of her hair, holding it tight. Then, he pulled.

The boy was strong, thought Tâ€™Pol, extracting herself from his grip.

But soon it was time to put the child to bed and she did so. She looked at the time, knowing Trip was still delayed in engineering.

All the better to examine these scans, thought Tâ€™Pol.

In the hours since she had met with Essilia, the had found the idea of the spheres a distraction. And she hated distractions. But the idea that they - not their descendants - could be the ones to complete this mission appealed to her. The idea of settling somewhere, not roaming the expanse searching for information on the Xindi, appealed to her as well. She looked at Lorian, asleep in his crib.

Itâ€™s too much responsibility, she thought. He deserves to choose his own destiny.

She fixed herself some tea and sat down for a long night of study.

When Trip returned, he found her nearly asleep at her desk. After checking on Lorian, he approached her. He sensed that she was working on something important. But she suddenly began to suppress what it was - so he knew it was very important.

_What are you up to?_

_I donâ€™t want to get anyoneâ€™s hopes up. Give me time._

â€œDo you have a way home? Back to own time?â€ said Trip aloud.

Tâ€™Pol shook her head and felt how crestfallen he was. She took his hand, which he now understood to be one of the ultimate acts of Vulcan intimacy. No wonder she hadnâ€™t shaken his hand all those years ago when they met.

â€œI believe weâ€™ve been focusing on the wrong goal,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, â€œEssilia and I were talking about the spheres this afternoon. She thinks that if we destroy them, their makers will have no reason to turn the Xindi against Earth.â€

Trip pulled up a chair, without letting go of her hand. He sensed how promising she thought the idea was and how careful she wanted to be as she approached it.

â€œWe have the information Degra gave us,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, â€œAnd Essilia knows of an Ikkaren researcher who might have even more information. But we would need to disable or destroy all 78 spheres, not just one. A daunting task.â€

Trip examined the scans.

â€œTheyâ€™re all interconnected,â€ he said, â€œItâ€™s not an impossible idea.â€

Trip understood the implications. They were never getting home to their own time or place, but they might be able to complete their mission. But as much as he understood quantum mechanics as it applied to warp theory, he didnâ€™t understand M-Theory enough to understand what the consequences would be for their timeline. For all the craziness of their situation, his life had turned out pretty damn good. Better, he thought, that if they had never been sent to the Expanse.

_What if we stop the Xindi attack and Enterprise is never sent into the Expanse?_

Trip glanced over at Lorianâ€™s crib and wondered if it was worth it, to wipe his son out of existence in order to save every planet in the galaxy from the sphere builders.

_The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few._

Trip looked into his wifeâ€™s greenish-brown eyes. Thanks to the bond, she didnâ€™t need to tell him how painful the idea was. But she was right. Seven million first. Then Billions on Earth. Billions on Vulcan. Billions on Andoria. . .and so on. They could not be concerned with their own small circle of loved ones, when the stakes were so high.

Trip let go of her hand, and he gently pulled her into a hug. She gently put her head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arms around her. Over the past year, she had gradually become accustomed to this strange form of human intimacy. She even enjoyed it a little, though it still felt strange and childlike. Vulcans held their children, but never each other in this way.

****

Hoshi ran into Malcolm in the mess hall. It was late, and he was sucking down coffee. She wondered what could be keeping him up so late. It had been months since they had gone to tactical alert. But he looked tired. Hoshi had thought he looked tired ever since Essiliaâ€™s sister had been murdered. Nobody knew for sure if she and Malcolm had been involved, but Hoshi definitely belonged to the â€œyesâ€ team on that particular question. Malcolm struck her as the type to fall in love with a married woman. She sat down at his table. He looked like he had lost weight, and Malcolm had never been very heavy.

â€œWhatâ€™s up, Malcolm?â€ said Hoshi.

Malcolm put down his coffee.

â€œJust studying Ikkaren tactical methodology,â€ said Malcolm, â€œEssilia has been very, very helpful in preparing me for a possible run-in with these Grey Guards. She doesnâ€™t know they believe weâ€™ve taken sides in their civil war or not - but if they do, weâ€™ll know it the moment we happen upon them.â€

Hoshi had helped herself to some green tea, which she sipped.

â€œIt must be nice for Essilia to have you around,â€ said Hoshi.

â€œMeaning?â€

â€œMeaning she lost her twin sister. I donâ€™t know anything about Ikkarens, but losing a twin is one of the worst things that could happen to a human. She must be ripped to shreds. And it must be nice to have someone who also misses her sister around,â€ said Hoshi.

Hoshi theorized that Essilia, for all her attachment to the captain, wouldnâ€™t have been so eager to leave her life, culture and people - if her sister hadnâ€™t been killed. Since the murder, Essilia had adopted more human dress and manner, studying the history of Earth. Hoshi suspected her new life on Enterprise was a convenient way of forgetting about her past - and the fact that one of her own people, a trusted childhood friend, had murdered Lesilia.

Malcolm paused.

â€œI like Essilia,â€ said Malcolm, â€œAnd I . . .liked her sister a lot. So we have that in common,â€ said Malcolm, â€œPlus the captain seems a lot happier since Essilia decided to stay with us.â€

Hoshi nodded. It was all true, and she knew not to expect Malcolm to admit anything had been going on with the dead woman. There was no excuse for a husband to murder his wife, but if she had been unfaithful, there were still people - even among a human crew - who would have blamed her, even if only deep in their own minds. And Malcolm was an English gentleman. He wouldnâ€™t kiss and tell anyway.

â€œHowâ€™s Joss?â€ said Malcolm.

â€œHeâ€™s fine,â€ replied Hoshi, â€œBut heâ€™s had to take up hydroponic gardening as a hobby. There just hasnâ€™t been enough for the MACOs to do lately.â€

Malcolm smiled.

â€œMy father loved collecting insects. I think its very common for military men to take up pastoral hobbies,â€ said Malcolm.

â€œWell,â€ said Hoshi, â€œHe says heâ€™ll have perfect carrots in about four months, which is good because Iâ€™ve taken up cooking again.â€

Malcolm smiled.

â€œBut you are still working on ...your work,â€ continued Hoshi, â€œWhat you need is a hobby.â€

Malcolm grinned. â€œA hobby?â€

â€œWeâ€™re no longer on a military mission, weâ€™re no longer on a short term exploration mission. This is our home. These are our lives. You need a hobby.â€

Malcolm was silent.

â€œMaybe the captain can teach you water polo,â€ said Hoshi.

â€œIâ€™m afraid of the water,â€ said Malcolm.

Hoshi smiled.

â€œMaybe its time to overcome that fear. Weâ€™ve got the fantastic new swimming pool/artificial beach in Cargo Bay 3. Maybe its time to expand your horizons. You, like me, used to be afraid of the transporter, but now weâ€™ve both gotten used to it.â€

Hoshi yawned.

â€œDonâ€™t stay up too late,â€ she said.

*****

Several days later, after the ship had made a supply run at a nearby colony, Tâ€™Pol asked to see Malcolm in the command center but did not tell him why. When he arrived, she stood at one of the monitors and appeared to be examining the data they had taken from the spheres.

â€œYou wished to see me, Commander,â€ he said.

Tâ€™Pol nodded and gestured that he should come stand next to him. He did.

â€œIâ€™m working on a project that I havenâ€™t told the captain about,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, â€œAnd I need your expertise.â€

Malcolm looked at the scans.

â€œDo you believe we could extend the energy variables on the phase cannons?â€

Malcolm squinted a bit. He couldnâ€™t think of a reason to extend the energy variables.

â€œItâ€™s possible,â€ he said.

â€œIt would take a phase burst on a different spectrum to cause a chain reaction on the sphere reactors. In theory, if we hit a centrally located sphere right as the energy waves were in the process of creating the anomalies - we could explode not only the sphere we hit - but all the other ones.â€

Malcolm gasped. He understood the implications. No spheres. No sphere builders. No Xindi attack.

â€œThe problem is,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, â€œis it is likely we will get only once chance. The Sphere Builders would recognize what we were trying to do and alter their plans. They could try and attack Earth at an earlier time - or come after us. I donâ€™t believe they can see what we are doing now - but if we attack a sphere, they will recognize the meaning of our actions.â€

Malcolm took a deep breath.

â€œIf weâ€™re not careful, we could make things worse rather than better. . . What does the captain think?â€

â€œHe does not yet know what we are working on,â€ replied Tâ€™Pol, â€œEssilia feels it is best, and I agree, to have a viable plan before informing the captain.â€

â€œThis was her idea?â€ asked Malcolm.

â€œInitially,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, â€œbut she did not understand the science, so she came to me. Trip knows, too, because I have a difficult time keeping secrets from him, for reasons of which you are aware. Trip also believes we should have a concrete plan to present to the captain. He has enough on his mind.â€

Malcolm thought for a moment, and he agreed. Why bother the captain with something that was only in the initial stages?

â€œHowever,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, â€œThere are two problems. One, I am unsure where on the light spectrum to adjust the phase cannons for maximum effect. Two, I am not sure how long it would take for an explosion to detonate once we hit the core with our phase cannons. I would prefer not to make this a suicide mission for Enterprise, if possible.â€

â€œI may be able to help you with the first problem,â€ said Malcolm, â€œBut youâ€™re on your own for the second.â€

â€œWeâ€™ll also need to bring Phlox in on this,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, â€œHe knows the most about the sphere builders.â€

As far as Tâ€™Pol understood it, the sphere builders could not physically manifest in their dimension. They could project images of themselves and communicate with the Xindi and other species, but that was about it. Moving game pieces on a board, thought Tâ€™Pol. She wondered if the spheres were removed, if their builders would still be able to communicate with the Xindi or if they would try again in the future. There was much to consider.

â€œI believe,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, â€œWe must make a trip to Ikkaria. The man Essilia spoke of may be able to answer our questions.â€

****

After a few weeks of work, and consultations with Trip, Phlox and Malcolm, Tâ€™Pol decided she should be the one to broach the idea of destroying the spheres to the captain, but Essilia had other ideas. They huddled outside Jonâ€™s ready room and argued.

â€œIt was my idea,â€ she said, â€œWeâ€™ll tell him together.â€

â€œThat would be illogical,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, â€œGive your personal relationship. I prefer he make an unbiased decision.â€

Essilia shook one of her long fingers at Tâ€™Pol.

â€œThatâ€™s so stupid! Weâ€™re on the same side! You want him to be biased in my favor so heâ€™ll go alone with the plan.â€

Tâ€™Pol held her hands behind her back and pushed down the burst of emotion she felt welling up inside her.

â€œI depend on the captainâ€™s judgement. I prefer him to examine our data without prejudice.â€

Essilia laughed. Vulcans just did not make sense to her.

Just then, Jon peaked out the door of his ready room. He wasnâ€™t sure, but something in the two womenâ€™s body language peaked his interest. They were fighting about something.

â€œWe need to see you,â€ said Essilia.

Tâ€™Pol sucked her breath in, but followed the Ikkarian woman into the ready room. This wasnâ€™t how she had planned this.

â€œIâ€™ve been talking to Tâ€™Pol,â€ said Essilia, â€œWe think we shouldnâ€™t be worrying about the Xindi attack. We should be focused on the spheres. No spheres. No attack. We think.â€

Jon looked to Tâ€™Pol for confirmation.

â€œWeâ€™ve discussed the idea,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, â€œand Iâ€™ve researched it. I believe it could be a viable option. But there are some issues.â€

Essilia stepped forward and took Jonâ€™s arm. Clearly, she wasnâ€™t only planning on using logic to persuade the captain, which was totally unnecessary.

â€œYou believe this is possible,â€ said Jon, ignoring Essilia and looking Tâ€™Pol straight in the eye.

â€œI can provide you with the data Iâ€™ve assembled,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, â€œBut Essilia knows of a physicist on Ikkaria who might be able to assist us. She is willing to help us find him. With his help, we may well succeed in preventing the first Xindi weapon from ever being built.â€

Jon took a deep breath. Where the hell was Daniels when he need him?

â€œIf we can do that without making things worse,â€ said Jon carefully, â€œWe should. But we need to proceed carefully. There are temporal implications we might not understand.â€

Essilia raised her hand a little bit.

â€œTâ€™Polâ€™s been working on those, too,â€ she said.

Jon searched Tâ€™Polâ€™s placid face.

â€œIâ€™ve been studying the matter,â€ she said.

â€œShe wants to know if weâ€™ll all disappear when we blow the spheres because your ship will no longer be sent to the Expanse back in your time. I mean, youâ€™ll exist, maybe but you wonâ€™t be you. And none of the children will exist, of course.â€

Jon looked over at Tâ€™Pol. _Of course_ , he thought, Tâ€™Pol never, ever would have married a human had she not been thrown back in time. Phlox would not have married Amanda with his three wives back on Denobula. . .if Tâ€™Polâ€™s plan worked, they would complete their mission, but they would also wipe the seven children that had been born on the Enterprise out of existence.

â€œThe needs of the many outweigh the need of the few,â€ said Tâ€™Pol calmly.

Jon shook his head.

â€œI agree,â€ he said, â€œon principle. Saving the galaxy means making that sacrifice. But itâ€™s going to take time and there may be another way. When Daniels pulled me into the future, we were somehow protected from the alternations in the timeline created by my absence. It was like we were in a temporal bubble, unaffected by the changes outside. If weâ€™re going to do this, Iâ€™d like to try and create such a bubble to put around the ship.

Essilia grinned and clapped her hands.

â€œBrilliant!â€ she said and reached up and kissed Jon on the lips.

Tâ€™Pol felt a wee bit sick to her stomach, but she showed no outward signs of disgust. She also thought of the Vulcan Science Directorateâ€™s insistence that time travel was impossible. As she such, she was no expert in potential timeline shifts and temporal bubbles. Neither was anyone else on the ship. They would need this Ikkaren physicist more than ever. From what little Essilia could tell her, the man was aware of how the Spheres existed outside of normal time/space.

â€œGoing to Ikkaria to find this Dr. Spaine, it may not be completely safe,â€ said Tâ€™Pol.

Essilia nodded.

â€œItâ€™s not going to be. Iâ€™m sure Enterprise will have been marked as a potentially dangerous ship - but the good news is that no Ikkaren ship I know could out gun her. And I can brief Malcolm on all the tactical information on the Grey Guards he could want.â€

Jon and Tâ€™Pol said nothing.

â€œWeâ€™re just trying to meet with one old scientist,â€ said Essilia, â€œWeâ€™ll probably be able to get a message to him beforehand.â€

â€œIâ€™ll leave you two to plan our visit to Ikkaria,â€ said Tâ€™Pol.

With that, she took her position on the bridge. Jonâ€™s words had given her hope that the price of destroying the spheres neednâ€™t be as high as she first thought.

******

Eventually, Essilia proposed a very practical solution to the dilemma of how to get to Ikkaria. Trip would help her modify the markings and warp signature of her own ship, which was still in the launch bay of Enterprise. She, Tâ€™Pol and Malcolm would take the transport to Ikkaria and find Dr. Spaine. Essilia had already been in communication with the doctor, who was eager to help but needed some scrapings from the shipâ€™s engines to make his final calculations.

Meanwhile, Trip and Archer and Phlox would stay aboard Enterprise and work on some of the more basic system modifications. When the group returned from Ikkaria with the proper specifications, then Trip and Malcolm could finish the job and they would head after the spheres. It all seemed like a good plan.

â€œI think I should go with you,â€ said Jon to Tâ€™Pol.

â€œThat is not logical. You are needed here,â€ she said, â€œAnd Essilia is a capable pilot. We will simply consult Dr. Spraine and return.â€

Jon knew that Enterprise would only draw attention to itself. It was best they stayed in orbit around one of the new independent out colonies while a small party brought the sample to his lab. But that didnâ€™t make in any easier.

â€œIâ€™ll take good care of Trip while you are gone,â€ said Jon.

â€œThank you. I will look after Essilia,â€ she said in response.

*****

Before the final departure, Tâ€™Pol returned to her and Tripâ€™s quarters one more time. He was there, with Lorian. She knew he would rather she not go or that he accompany her - but he needed to work on the engine modifications that were part of the plan. But she sensed very human worry in him.

â€œWeâ€™ll be fine,â€ she said aloud.

â€œI know,â€ he said.

With his son in one arm, Trip leaned down and kissed his wife goodbye on the lips. She shut her eyes and accepted the kiss - then kissed back. Luckily, Trip had gotten used to her Vulcan responses to his human overtures. He had even come to be fond of them.

â€œIâ€™ll miss you,â€ said Tâ€™Pol.

Her words were the truth. Being separated from oneâ€™s family was not easy for a Vulcan, and it would leave a hole into Tâ€™Pol until she returned.

******

Essilia packed happily in front of Jon, chattering about their plans. She was excited to see her homeworld again, despite the bittersweet homecoming. The Grey Guards were firmly in charge, and Essilia knew better than to try and contact any of her extended family. She had no idea what Thoren would do if he knew she had returned, and she didnâ€™t want to know.

â€œWeâ€™ll all be fine, Jon,â€ she said.

â€œI know,â€ he replied, â€œBut you should still be careful. Listen to Tâ€™Pol. I know that you and she donâ€™t always see eye to eye, but sheâ€™s got a lot of mission experience and knows how to get in and out of places.â€

Essilia nodded. She should have been jealous of Tâ€™Pol, but she had recently come to sort of like the Vulcan. And she begrudgingly understood why Jon trusted her so much.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Paramount Owns Everything

  
Author's notes: Disclaimer: Paramount Owns Everything  


* * *

The transport approached Ikkaria. Minshara class planets were usually beautiful, but Malcolm caught his breath at the sight of this one. The oceans appeared green, not blue and the clouds were pink. Lesilia had told him of the sunsets, which caused a crystalline burst of light across the sky as the sun dipped below the water.

â€œTell me again about this Dr. Spraine,â€ said Malcolm to Essilia.

â€œHe was one of Ikkariaâ€™s most renowned scientists,â€ she said with a shrug, â€œBut about twenty years ago he dropped all his other work and became focused on the spheres. He was convinced the anomalies that had been disrupting travel were caused by the spheres . . .it really destroyed his reputation.â€

â€œI know that part,â€ said Malcolm, â€œBut do you know what he is like? Why do you think heâ€™s willing to help us?â€

Essilia shook her head. Every day she missed her sister, but today they needed her. She knew Dr. Spraine. Essilia only knew the man by sight.

â€œI donâ€™t know. I remember that even before his obsession with the spheres he was considered eccentric. He walked in the rain without seeming to notice and he talked to himself. We have a saying . . .the space between genius and insanity is very small, but also infinite.â€

Malcolm smiled.

â€œWeâ€™ve got something similar on Earth,â€ said Malcolm.

Tâ€™Pol, who was listening, said nothing. Vulcans had no such saying, or any such sentiment for that matter.

Essilia proceeded to contact a nearby space dock, where the transport would dock and they would proceed to the surface via one of the planetâ€™s space-to-surface ferries. Essilia had taken the liberty of booking them first class seats. She hadnâ€™t dared contact Dr. Spraine yet, fearing their communications would be monitored. She didnâ€™t know if the old man was being watched by the Grey Guards, but it was safe to assume he was. From what Essilia heard, the Grey Guard watched everyone.

****

Jon sat in his ready room with Porthos at his feet. He stared at the computer screen in front of him, examining various theories about the nature of time. He wrinkled his brow a bit as he stared.

â€œDammit, Iâ€™m a pilot not a physicist,â€ he said to Porthos.

It wasnâ€™t that Jon hadnâ€™t study physics. He had studied everything from flight principles to warp theory since he was a child. But time travel and inter-dimensional space were footnotes in physics books - subjects that had until recently been fun for scientists to think about and pose academic questions - but they had no practical use. Jon had always been about practical use. Now he wished he had paid more attention.

At least, however, human physicists thought about such academic questions. Vulcans, he had learned after studying their database, ignored anything determined to have no practical application.

The door chimed.

â€œCome in,â€ said Jon.

Trip entered, carrying a PADD as usual.

â€œWhatâ€™s up, Captain?â€

â€œJust pondering the nature of time and existence.â€

Trip laughed. He and the captain shared a love for practical physics and engineering. But ever since their mission had started, they had both faced issues that werenâ€™t in the standard texts.

â€œHow are the engines?â€ said Jon.

â€œWorking just as they should,â€ said Trip, â€œIt helps that we havenâ€™t been attacked in a long while. But Iâ€™ve been looking at what Malcolm thinks needs to be done to the phase canon in order to attack the spheres. . .we had better calibrate them right or the energy from the core of the sphere will bounce back onto the hull. It wonâ€™t be pretty.â€

Jon nodded.

â€œWeâ€™ve only got one shot to get this right,â€ said Jon, â€œIf we tip off the builders as to what we are doing. . . I canâ€™t imagine what they will do. And I doubt whatever their revenge will be - it will be visited on Earth, not on us.â€

Trip looked down at the data he brought.

â€œMost likely we wonâ€™t be around for them to mess with, if we fail.â€

Jon shook his head. They had already discussed finding a place to hide the children off ship - but that came with dangers. Destroying the spheres might create a quantum bubble around Enterprise. When they emerged, the timeline outside that bubble could very well be different - different enough so the children might not exist when they went to retrieve them.

So Jon faced down the truth that he was planning on embarking on a dangerous mission to destroy a mysterious technology powered by a source he barely understood. Not only was the fate of Earth and the entire galaxy at stake, he was going to have babies aboard his ship - just what he need to add to the stress.

On the other hand, that fact just made him more determined to succeed. He was going to destroy those spheres and blow their creators back to whatever hell dimension from which they came.

â€œHave you heard from the away team?â€ asked Trip.

â€œYes,â€ said Jon, â€œTheyâ€™ve docked and are headed down to the planet on a public transport. Everything is going smooth so far.â€

Trip relaxed a bit. He knew that Tâ€™Pol could take care of herself, but he still worried when she was on an away mission. It was silly, he knew. She could certainly take care of herself better than he could care for her. But he missed her and missed knowing she was not in harmâ€™s way.

Jon leaned back in his chair.

â€œIâ€™m reaching a point where all Iâ€™ll have left to do on this plan is wait,â€ said Jon, â€œAnd I hate waiting.â€

Jon reached under his desk and removed a bottle of bourbon.

â€œCare to wait with me for awhile?â€

Trip grinned. As far as he knew, everything in engineering was fine. And Lorian was safe at the daycare. He pulled up a chair as Jon poured two generous glasses.

â€œTo blowing those sphere builders back from whence they came,â€ said Jon holding up a glass.

â€œAmen to that,â€ said Trip.

****

After the landing party found digs at a hotel over looking a lake, they made their way to the university. Dr. Spraine had been given a small lab and offices in an old building long-thought too primitive by the younger scientists. Little did they know, Dr. Spraine could usually work out equations on old fashioned parchment that were far more advanced that those produced by the fancy computers inside the main building.

Essilia rang and they were buzzed in.

There, they found a lab that was a cross between a hydroponic garden, observatory and alchemy lab. Beakers boiled and creatures that would have delighted Dr. Phlox squawked and squealed in their cages. Tâ€™Pol couldnâ€™t imagine why a sphere-obsessed scientist would need them.

â€œI wonder what the creatures are for,â€ she said, â€œHeâ€™s not a biologist.â€

â€œTheyâ€™re pets,â€ said Essilia, â€œHe gets lonely without them.â€

The man himself was nearly six foot five, with long Ikkarian fingers and pronounced ridges on his nose. His long hair was jet black and his eyes were a strange pink color. He wore a long frock, that Tâ€™Pol guessed was some kind of Ikkaren lab-wear.

â€œAh,â€ he said, â€œMy visitors from far away. . .and one long lost Ikkaren. Iâ€™m sorry about your sister, however belatedly.â€

Dr. Spraine bowed.

Essilia bowed back in an Ikkaren gesture of acknowledgment.

â€œEnough of that,â€ said Dr. Spraine, â€œSo you want to destroy the spheres?â€

â€œYes,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, â€œWe believe their builders intend to make this galaxy uninhabitable to anyone but their own species. The spheres are also the cause of the anomalies that are creating havoc in this region of space.â€

Dr. Spraine clicked his long fingers together and laughed.

â€œFinally,â€ he said, â€œIâ€™ve found people who understand!â€

He scrambled over to a console and pressed a series of buttons. Up popped a three dimensional diagram of the spheres - along with a series of equations that articulated exactly what they were doing.

â€œThe builders are brilliant, in their way,â€ said Dr. Spraine, â€œAm I to understand youâ€™ve actually seen one?â€

Malcolm nodded.

â€œWe had one aboard our ship for a short while, but he dematerialized. At least, we think it was a he. . â€œ

Dr. Spraineâ€™s eyes widened.

â€œIâ€™m guessing that wasnâ€™t its original shape. I think they tried to take humanoid form while interacting in this space. . .you see, their universe is collapsing slowly in on itself. And so. . .well, you know the story,â€ he said.

Tâ€™Pol was busy examining the data in front of her.

â€œWould you be willing to examine these calibrations?â€ she said holding up her PADD.

â€œThatâ€™s why youâ€™re here isnâ€™t it?â€ said Dr Spraine as he grabbed the PADD.

â€œThis should only take a few hours,â€ said Dr. Spraine, â€œYou two can go while I deal with this lady with the pointed ears. She seems to be the only one who can understand this.â€

Malcolm looked at Tâ€™Pol.

â€œPerhaps you two could walk around the campus,â€ she said, briefly grateful that the Dr. was less polite that she was. Given the complexity of the task at hand, Malcolm and Essilia would just be in the way.

â€œI hear thereâ€™s a nice breeze coming of the lake,â€ said the doctor as he waived the two away.

Tâ€™Pol looked at Malcolm.

â€œGo ahead,â€ she said, â€œIâ€™ll contact you if we need you.â€

****

â€œWhat strange person,â€ said Malcolm, â€œAnd Iâ€™ve been around many scientists since I joined starfleet. Two thirds the crew of the Enterprise are scientists of some kind - but that man seemed odd. Is it an Ikkaren thing?â€™

Essilia led Malcolm down a long flight of concrete steps toward the lake. It glistened green in the sun and small pleasure craft dotted the surface, many with colorful masts and flags.

â€œNo,â€ said Essilia, â€œIn fact, Iâ€™ll wager heâ€™s even weirder to an Ikkarian than a human. Weâ€™re not much for that kind of eccentricity. But Iâ€™ve met a few of your crew members that work down in the labs - they are pretty odd themselves.â€

Essilia led Malcolm to what appeared to be some sort of food cart.

â€œTwo ice balls,â€ said Essilia, â€œWhatever flavor is best this season.â€

The man at the cart handed them balls of of what appeared to be ice. But you could hold them in your hand and they didnâ€™t melt. Essilia stuck hers on the end of her finger and took a bite of the top. Malcolm did the same, though not as deftly. It tasted cold on his tongue, but it was not cold on his fingers. And it was so sweet he felt a little sick.

â€œHow does this work?â€

Essilia shrugged.

â€œItâ€™s our equivalent of ice cream,â€ she said, â€œAnd itâ€™s less messy...damn Iâ€™ve missed this. And the lake. And the city.â€

Malcolm knew exactly how she felt. Mostly, he was happy with his existence on Enterprise, but there were days when he longed to stroll across the English countryside and perhaps stop in a pub for a drink.

â€œI like to think of your sister here,â€ said Malcolm, â€œShe must have enjoyed working at this place.â€

Essilia smiled.

â€œShe did. She knew how lucky she was.â€

Essilia pointed in the direction behind Malcolm.

â€œHer favorite cafe was up that way. Would you like to go there?â€

Malcolm nodded and off they went. Soon, they sat outside and a lakeside cafe dining on the Ikkaren analogue for tapas. Tiny little dishes of all sorts of food - all designed to be eaten with fingers. Just another way that Ikkarens are unlike Vulcans, thought Malcolm.

****

Meanwhile, back at Dr. Spraineâ€™s lab, Tâ€™Pol was amazed at the manâ€™s equations regarding the spheres. There was a creative beauty and balance to them she found astounding. They were also the key to making their plan work.

â€œAgain, I thank you doctor.â€

The old scientist nodded and clicked his fingers together.

â€œAnd I thank you. You and your captain and crew. I never thought in my lifetime Iâ€™d meet anyone with the means and desire to destroy those evil spheres. Hell, Iâ€™ve even encountered species who worship those things. Itâ€™s creepy.â€

Tâ€™Pol nodded. She remembered Enterpriseâ€™s own encounter with such beings. Now, it was possible that the war that had destroyed that civilization might be averted.

Tâ€™Pol thought for a moment. But at what consequence? Truly, their actions were going to have far reaching implications across the Delphic Expanse and beyond. On the surface, averting a religious war that destroyed a civilization felt like a good idea, as did saving Earth from the Xindi attack. But wouldnâ€™t there be unexpected and unintended consequence of such actions? What if they made things worse, not better? She closed her eyes. It was more than one person or small group of persons should have to decide. But the truth remained that the spheres threatened everyone - and something had to be done.

â€œYouâ€™re worried,â€ said Dr. Spraine, â€œThat youâ€™ll alter things in ways you canâ€™t anticipate.â€

Tâ€™Pol nodded.

â€œIs your species telepathic?â€ she asked.

The old man laughed aloud.

â€œNo. Iâ€™m just perceptive,â€ he said, â€œAnd Iâ€™ve spent a life time thinking about the river of time. But Iâ€™ve never actually messed with it. Partially because this old university wouldnâ€™t have funded the equipment with which to do so - and partially because the notion is so frightening. . .I canâ€™t assuage your fears that there will be unintended consequences. But I can assure you that as long as those spheres exist, there is a possibility that none of the species indigenous to this galaxy will survive. And if you can do something about that, you must.â€

There was suddenly a knock on the door.

â€œItâ€™s probably your companions, returned for you,â€ said Dr. Spraine as he pressed his buzzer.

But it wasnâ€™t. Two men and one woman, all dressed in the uniform of the Grey Guards, marched into the room. One of the men looked at Tâ€™Pol.

â€œWhat are you doing on Ikkaria?â€ he asked.

â€œIâ€™m a scientist,â€ she replied, â€œDr. Spraine is assisting me with my research.â€

â€œWeâ€™ve been asked to take you to a debriefing station. If we discover you are telling the truth, everything will be fine.â€

Tâ€™Pol glanced at Dr. Spraine. He nodded and winked.

â€œI will be happy to answer any questions you have,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, who was happy she had sent a copy of her data back to the transport. Whatever happened, to her, Malcolm would be able to get the specs to Enterprise and they would complete their mission.

With that, Tâ€™Pol followed two of the Grey Guards, the man and the woman, out of the lab. The third followed behind.

****

Having finished lunch, Malcolm and Essilia were headed back to the lab when they saw the Grey Guards walking with Tâ€™Pol. Both of them knew to jump back around the corner, lest they be seen walking toward the lab.

â€œThereâ€™s a police station a few blocks north,â€ said Essilia, â€œIâ€™ll bet thatâ€™s where they are taking her.â€

â€œWhat do they want?â€

Essilia shook her head.

â€œIt makes no sense. They couldnâ€™t care less about the spheres or Dr. Spraine, as far as I know.â€

â€œWe need to go see Spraine,â€ said Malcolm, â€œBut itâ€™s best if we go around a different way. Iâ€™ll wager the door is being watched.â€

Soon, Essilia and Malcolm had rounded the back side of the building. Malcolm gently knocked on the old manâ€™s window. He opened it.

â€œSo I assume you know that your friend has been taken,â€ said Dr. Spraine, â€œThe Grey Guards didnâ€™t say why. But those bastards stick their noses into everything. Iâ€™m fairly certain they have no idea who she is or why she was here. And thatâ€™s probably the only reason they took her. â€œ

â€œSo they gave no indication that they intend to interfere with the mission?â€

Dr. Spraine threw up his hands.

â€œIâ€™d be greatly surprised if they even knew about the spheres. . .this is probably something much closer to home.â€

Essilia and Malcolm looked at each other. Both knew that Thoren had let them go all those months ago, but that didnâ€™t mean he wanted them wandering about Ikkaria. They both knew the truth about Lesilia.

â€œThanks, doctor.â€

The two headed around the building, and Essilia led the way into a garden which led to a back way toward the station where she believed Tâ€™Pol would be held.

â€œIâ€™ll bet Thoren has something to do with this. He probably thinks weâ€™re here for revenge,â€ said Essilia, â€œHeâ€™s a complete narcissist.â€

â€œNot that revenge wouldnâ€™t be pleasant,â€ said Malcolm, â€œBut weâ€™ve got more important matters to worry about.â€

Essilia pointed to an alley that led to the main street of the city, the center of everything.

â€œWe have a saying. Revenge happens as the cosmos moves.â€

Malcolm thought about it.

â€œIt means what goes around comes around,â€ said Essilia, â€œAnd I believe that. We canâ€™t risk ourselves for his sake.â€

They arrived at the police station, unsure what to do next.

****

Tâ€™Pol had expected to find herself in an interrogation room. Instead, she found herself in a pleasant conference room overlooking the lake, sipping tea. She tasted it very carefully - if it was poisoned, the poison had no flavor. Across the table from her was the Ikkaren man called Thoren.

Tâ€™Pol knew he was a high-ranking member of the military who had joined the Grey Guard when it became clear that they had control. She also knew him to be a stone cold murderer and probably a psychopath.

â€œIkkaren tea is very spicy,â€ he said, â€œI do hope itâ€™s not too much for you,â€ he said.

â€œItâ€™s excellent,â€ replied Tâ€™Pol, â€œMay I ask if you have any questions for me. Or are you just interested in my opinion of Ikkaren tea?â€

Thoren laughed. Even as a Vulcan, though, Tâ€™Pol recognized it was a laugh devoid of joy.

â€œYou donâ€™t smile. You donâ€™t laugh,â€ he said, â€œThatâ€™s very strange.â€

â€œNot for a Vulcan,â€ she replied cooly.

â€œYou are the only Vulcan on a human ship,â€ said Thoren, â€œAm I right?â€

Tâ€™Pol nodded. Clearly he had gotten some kind of report on Enterprise from somewhere.

â€œIt must be lonely,â€ he said, â€œBeing exiled from your people.â€

Tâ€™Pol shook her head.

â€œI am content to live among humans,â€ she replied.

â€œYou even have a family on the ship, do you not?â€

She nodded again. It was a classic interrogation technique. Threaten the family. She wasnâ€™t going to reveal any more information.

â€œWhere are the two people - the Ikkaren woman and the human man that you came to Ikkaria with?â€

â€œI do not know,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, truthfully.

Thoren stood up and went to the window, clasping his long fingers behind his back.

â€œHeâ€™s what I think. I think youâ€™re being used. Reed and Essilia wanted to find me. And they used you as a cover. Iâ€™ve no doubt that you had an interest in the old manâ€™s work - but I doubt that is the real reason you are here.â€

He is a remarkable narcissist, thought Tâ€™Pol, just like a classic psychopath. Even if I tried to explain that the safety of the known world was at stake, he would not believe it. He would still believe we came here to do him harm.

â€œIâ€™ll even wager that you didnâ€™t even know the real reason for this visit,â€ said Thoren.

Tâ€™Polâ€™s face showed no emotion, but she marveled at the sheer wrongness of his impression. Clearly, his informants about Enterprise had gotten her character and nature incorrect. She could not even imagine herself as Malcolmâ€™s pawn. The notion was absurd.

â€œIf Lieutenant Reed and Essilia have another agenda besides helping me find the professor, I am unaware of it,â€ said Tâ€™Pol truthfully.

Thoren turned.

â€œWell,â€ he said, â€œI can believe that. And I have no quarrel with you. If you help me find your companions, I can assure you that Iâ€™ll return you to your ship and your family unharmed. Youâ€™ll even be able to take that data you transferred up to the transport.â€

Tâ€™Pol decided to play along. She asked a question that he would expect her to ask.

â€œWhat do you want with my friends?â€ she said, trying to put innocence in her voice.

Thoren looked sad. Nearly genuinely so.

â€œMy wife committed suicide some time ago, after spending some time on your ship. . .It is my understanding that her sister has spun a ridiculous story that Lesilia died at my hands. This story has been affecting my reputation.â€

Tâ€™Pol thought about what she had heard about Lesiliaâ€™s murder. Thoren had said something about pinning it on humans - clearly Thoren had changed the story to suicide. And wasnâ€™t being believed.

â€œI need her to retract her vindictive, delusional story,â€ said Thoren, â€œThatâ€™s all.â€

Nonsense, thought Tâ€™Pol. He wants me to believe that no harm will come to them. Classic, if you are dealing with a fool.

â€œI didnâ€™t witness your wifeâ€™s death,â€ she said, â€œI was told she was murdered. But that could have been a lie. Or a misunderstanding.â€

Thorenâ€™s expression changed just a bit. He believed that he had gotten to her. Psychopaths were like that, thought Tâ€™Pol. They believe in themselves and the lies they tell. They canâ€™t imagine other people not doing the same.

â€œBut I truly donâ€™t know where they are. They were uninterested in my research. Essilia was going to show Lieutenant Reed around the campus. My research was expected to take hours. Itâ€™s possible they havenâ€™t even returned,â€ said Tâ€™Pol.

Possible, but not likely. No doubt Malcolm had discovered her arrest and was probably nearby. Getting to the transport was going to be difficult, she thought. Clearly, the authorities monitored the comings and goings of civilians carefully, and there was no transport technology for them to fall back on. Getting back to Essiliaâ€™s ship was going to be difficult.

Tâ€™Pol looked down at the PADD she still had with her. This man Thoren couldnâ€™t care less about the data that was also contained there. She could possibly leave the planet with it and get to Enterprise another way. Hopefully, with Malcolm and Essilia. But, Tâ€™Pol also considered the possibility of having to leave them behind. The mission was too important not to consider that grim possibility.

****

Malcolm and Essila watched from the alleyway, and Malcolm raised his scanner toward the building. It detected one Vulcan bio sign.

â€œSo, Mr. Intelligence officer? Have you a plan?â€

Malcolm shook his head.

â€œGive me a minute,â€ he said, â€œThere has to be a way - beyond having Enterprise come and transport us to the ship. The last thing we need while attempting to destroy the spheres is the Ikkaren government chasing after us.â€

Essila clicked her fingers together in annoyance.

â€œSorry my people are such idiots,â€ she said, â€œIf you had met us a few years back. . .â€

****

Tâ€™Pol sat alone in conference room, waiting for Thoren to return. She had formulated a plan - a risky one. But she thought it would be worth it if she could pull it off. She knew she could pull off the first part, but she worried that the second part would backfire.

The door opened. There was no time to reconsider. She stood up and approached Thoren.

â€œIâ€™ve been thinking,â€ she said softly, â€œPerhaps I can convince the Ikkaren woman - Essilia to retract her story. Iâ€™m sure she just didnâ€™t understand what she saw...â€

Before Thoren could react, she reached up and gave him a swift nerve pinch. He collapsed onto the floor. Tâ€™Pol knelt next to him. She placed two fingers on his temple and closed her eyes.

â€œMy mind to your mind, my thoughts to your thoughts. . . â€œ

She had never performed this act before, and she didnâ€™t know if she could. She had to remember the trauma with Tolaris - but she also remembered what he did to connect with her mind and she recreated that as best she could. When she finished, she stepped back.

â€œHelp,â€ she shouted.

Two Grey Guards appeared in the doorway.

â€œHe collapsed,â€ she said innocently, â€œIâ€™ve been trying to render aid.â€

One of the guards took over and began to revive Thoren.

Tâ€™Pol watched him, carefully. His eyes fluttered open but he couldnâ€™t speak. His eyes stared, glazed over.

That was not what she had intended. She only wished to plant a thought in his head - to make him release her. But she had not done that. She had damaged him in some way.

Soon, medics were called. It appeared her mind meld had caused a stroke - one that may well have permanently brain damaged him. He was taken away.

Tâ€™Pol sat for what felt like hours, when the female guard came in to the room.

â€œYouâ€™re free to go,â€ she said.

â€œThank you,â€ replied Tâ€™Pol, â€œHow is the man who collapsed?â€

â€œUnable to ever hurt anyone again,â€ said the guard, â€œAnd for that, most everyone around here is grateful. Now go, find your friends and get out of here.â€

Tâ€™Pol did not need to be told twice. She quickly retrieved her belongings and headed out into the main street. She grabbed her communicator.

â€œTâ€™Pol to Reed. . .Iâ€™ve been released.â€

Malcolm responded not via communicator but by appearing from around the corner, with Essilia.

â€œWe saw them take Thoren out on a stretcher,â€ she said.

Tâ€™Pol thought she noticed a twinge of fear in the Ikkaren womanâ€™s eyes. Malcolm, too, searched Tâ€™Polâ€™s face for answers. Of course, neither of them found any.

â€œI attempted to form a mind-link with him. My intention was merely to have him release me unharmed. Unfortunately, the meld went badly and he was. . .harmed.â€

Essilia wiped a tear from her eye.

â€œWhat goes around comes around,â€ she said, feeling a bit empty that it was not her who had exacted the revenge.

â€œI did not mean to damage him,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, â€œBut I believe he would not have let you - or Malcolm leave this planet alive.â€

Malcolm, too, was feeling empty inside. He would have wanted to serve the dish of cold, revenge to Thoren, but it was not to be.

â€œWeâ€™re free to leave the planet,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, â€œBut we best go soon.â€

****

A week later, Enterprise sat at dead stop outside the central Delphic Sphere. Jon sat in his chair, thinking about what they were about to do. On the one hand, they would save the entire galaxy. On the other hand, they were about the alter the timeline forever. It wasnâ€™t a matter to be taken lightly. And he wasnâ€™t even sure they would succeed.

Tâ€™Pol was more confident. She had been over the data time and again since their return from Ikkaria. She was confident the plan would work.

If they hit the main reactor core of this sphere, just as it was emitting a graveton burst - they would cause a chain reaction that would destroy all the spheres.

Malcolm sat at tactical. Hoshi manned the comm. Travis was at the helm. Trip was down in engineering, making sure they had all the power they needed.

This was it, the big show.

â€œTake us in, Mr. Mayweather,â€ said Jon.

Soon, in a matter of minutes, they entered the sphere. Enterprise slowly made its way to the core. Weapons were already on line.

â€œFire, Mr. Reed,â€ said Jon.

Everything was quiet at first. Then, the chain reaction started in a burst of color.

â€œGet us out of here, Travis,â€ said Jon.

Enterprise flew out of the sphere and into an anomaly created by the explosion. Gravity all over the ship shifted, and the deck warped. Engines went off line, and the ship was thrown nearly a light year on the energy wave that was created by the explosion.

Jon was knocked from his chair.

Then, all was quiet.

****

â€œThank you,â€ said Jon.

The Ossarian on the view screen was nothing like the first Ossarian Jon had met on his mission. This gentleman was friendly and filled with helpful information.

â€œYes,â€ he said, â€œWeâ€™re getting reports that all the spheres exploded. And the anomalies have all but stopped. Who would have thought?â€

â€œNot us,â€ lied Jon.

He and Tâ€™Pol had agree that given some speciesâ€™ attachment to spheres, they had best keep their involvement in the destruction as quiet as possible.

â€œLooks like we did it,â€ said Jon.

Their calculations had indicated as much in the week since the attack, but Jon thought it was nice to have actual verbal confirmation. He knew Tâ€™Pol found that silly - but still.

That night, Jon convened a dinner with himself - and Tâ€™Pol and Trip. It was just like old times. He even convinced her to sip on a glass of wine.

However, the agenda was important.

â€œMission accomplished,â€ he said, â€œSo what now?â€

Trip and Tâ€™Pol looked at each other. All of them longed for home, Earth, Vulcan. . .they were still out of time and out of reach. Enterprise was home.

â€œAt first,â€ said Jon, â€œI thought we should become a generational ship. Just keep moving. But that was when we still had a mission. Now, it seems like we should find a new home. Let the children grow up knowing fresh air. . .â€

Jon hadnâ€™t told anyone, but he and Essilia were expecting their first child. He was going to add to the diverse group of human and alien/human hybrids that would make up the next generation.

â€œEssilia has told me that several Ikkaren colonies have been near-abandoned since the coup. Perhaps one of them could make a home for us,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, who had discussed this option with Essilia already.

Trip closed his eyes and felt relief wash over him. He didnâ€™t want his son growing up on a starship, even one as much loved as Enterprise. He wanted Lorien to know how to swim in an ocean and to camp under stars.

â€œI will look into options,â€ said Tâ€™Pol

****

Three months later, Malcolm and Essilia stood on a hill overlooking what was soon to become a thriving town. Most of the Ikkarans here returned to their home world after the coup - leaving a fairly solid infrastructure. The dozen or so Ikkarens who had stayed were happy to welcome new blood, and even turned the governing of the colony over to Jon and his crew. They were just happy not to go back and live under the Grey Guard.

The Colony itself was called Beta X - not very poetic. But the crew had insisted on a name for the main city-town: Archer City. Jon protested but was overruled.

â€œI think Archer city will be a great place to live,â€ said Essilia, who was now visibly pregnant with a boy.

â€œYouâ€™re just saying that because the kid will likely be born with the last name Archer,â€ teased Malcolm.

â€œHeâ€™s definitely got the genes to be a starship captain, thatâ€™s for sure,â€ said Essilia.

She and Jon had moved into the large house adjacent in the center of town that had once been home to the colonial governor. Since Jon now held that position, it seemed only fitting. Jon had tried to argue, but Essilia put a stop to that right away. She was not going to be deprived of a fine house just because her husband liked to downplay his own importance.

â€œShe would have liked it here, I think,â€ said Malcolm. He didnâ€™t have to tell Essilia who he was talking about. She knew.

â€œShe would have loved it, but sheâ€™s not here,â€ said Essilia, â€œSo you need to move on. Find someone new. She wouldnâ€™t have wanted you to spend the rest of your life pining away.â€

Malcolm kicked the dirt beneath his feet. The sun had set and as twilight came over the colony, lights began to appear in the houses.

â€œPerhaps its time. . .I still feel cheated I never got to make him pay for what he did. . .â€

Essila grabbed Malcolm by the shoulder.

â€œDonâ€™t. Revenge eats away at people. It is always visited back on the perpetrator. Tâ€™Pol didnâ€™t act out of revenge but rather out of necessity. She will be okay. You or I would have been poisoned,â€ Essilia paused, â€œRemind me to thank her again for sparing both of us that fate.â€

With that, the two walked back to the colony. Malcolm went to his apartment on Main Street, alone. Essilia returned to her big house, and Jon. She was going to bring up a name for the boy that night, and she decided that she would insist on Malcolm.

****

Trip and Tâ€™Pol had also settled into a house, but theirs was closer to the edge of town, near the ocean. Trip had missed the ocean, and so Tâ€™Pol had arranged for them to have this house right on the water. Trip had even thought of building a boat - eventually. He still had Enterprise to take care of and the colony as well.

Lorian had even started to swim, just as he had started to walk and even talk. He smiled and giggled like a human child, but he had the intensity of concentration that marked Vulcan children.

Tâ€™Pol and Trip both hoped he would have the best of both worlds.

Because of their bond, Tâ€™Pol hadnâ€™t had to tell Trip of what she had done on Ikkaria. Whatever guilt she might have had, it was mitigated by necessity. They had completed the mission. That was what was important.

She did, however, decide to study everything in the Vulcan database on mind melds. If she ever need use one again, she was determined not to harm the subject.

Trip looked at his wife and was happy. They would have a good life here.

Tâ€™Pol slipped her hand into his. Nothing more needed to be said.

****

Jon sat in his garden and watched Porthos pee on a rather peculiar flower that he wasnâ€™t all that fond of anyway. Essilia would be home at any moment from her walk, and they could finally have dinner.

He looked down at the PADD before him, which contained reports on everyoneâ€™s activities. Phlox had set up shop in the clinic and settled in a nearby house with Amanda. Another child was on the way. Travis was going to split his time between Enterprise and local transports. He and Jay found a little house just a few blocks away, though Jon heard that Travis was still not quite used to living on land. Jon had appointed Joss Hayes as head of colony security, and they were working on how to turn military officers into police offers. He and Hoshi chose a fine apartment right in the center of town. She too would split her time as a communications officer for the colony and Enterprise. And Jon had put Malcolm in charge of intelligence. Hayes was going to keep order - but Malcolm had the more important job of determining threats to the colony.

Jon reached down and petted Porthos. This wasnâ€™t going to be easy, but he was confident in his people. They would make this colony thrive. He was sure of it.

Little did he know that another version of himself, one hundred and nineteen years later would come upon the colony.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Paramount Owns Everything

  
Author's notes: Disclaimer: Paramount Owns Everything

Authorâ€™s Note: So, As I en-visioned the Beta-X colony, I wanted it to be a far better life for our heroes than on a generational ship wandering around a dangerous part of space. In this universe, weâ€™ve got the descendants of the NX-01 crew growing up successful, prosperous colony with no real worries. So, I pictured them as young people who like to have fun. And Lorian has children in this version, though we only get to meet one.  


* * *

Delphic Expanse - 2153

The NX-01 had been in the Delphic Expanse for three weeks, when they were hailed by an Ikkarian transport. Even though Captain Jonathan Archerâ€™s mission in this part of space had secretly evolved into something far more than just exploration - he still considered exploration his primary job. They had heard of this trader-race the Ikkarens, but they had not yet encountered any of them.

â€œEnsign Sato, howâ€™s the UT working?â€

During their last first contact, the UT had flubbed a few verbs, creating some awkwardness.

â€œFine, Captain,â€ said Hoshi, her earpiece in place.

Malcolm Reed sat at the tactical station, and Travis was at the helm. Tâ€™Pol manned her science station, wearing a blue uniform of Starfleet - with a blue science stripe across her shoulders. She was now Commander Tâ€™Pol of Starfleet. After two years of serving on Enterprise, Starfleet had asked her to formalize her commission. With the permission of the high command, she did so.

Jon was grateful to the high command for allowing her to join Starfleet. She had become invaluable to him over the past two years, and he was sure she would become even more so as their mission continued.

â€œCaptain Archer?â€ said a youngish male Ikkaren voice across the comm.

Jon looked at Hoshi, who indicated in gesture that she had not told the Ikkarens his name.

â€œThis is Captain Archer,â€ said Jon curiously.

A young man with long yellow hair and purple eyes appeared on the view screen.

â€œYouâ€™re not the Captain Archer I was looking for,â€ he said, clearly puzzled.

â€œIs there another one?â€

The bridge officers on the Enterprise all became as puzzled as this Ikkaren.

â€œYes,â€ said the young man, â€œ Captain Karyn Archer. . .weâ€™re supposed to rendezvous with her at Lucius Prime in three days. We were wondering what the Enterprise was doing out here. We thought there was something wrong. Whereâ€™s Karyn?â€

Archer looked at Tâ€™Pol, she gestured that she had no explanation.

â€œWell, Iâ€™m afraid Iâ€™ve never heard of a Karyn Archer. Iâ€™m Jonathan Archer of the Starship Enterprise.â€

The Ikkaren man appeared irritated.

â€œAnd Iâ€™m telling you that unless there are two Enterprises, the only Captain of the Enterprise I know is Karyn. . .and weâ€™re supposed to meet her in three days. Sheâ€™s transporting a group to the festival on Lucius Prime and weâ€™ve got gear they need. But since youâ€™re clearly not the Enterprise weâ€™re looking for - weâ€™ll be on our way. You people really ought to have a better system for naming your ships and captains...this is getting confusing.â€

With that, the Ikkaren man broke off communication and his ship jumped to warp.

â€œTâ€™Pol,â€ said Jon â€œIt looks like weâ€™ve got a mystery on our hands. Can you find this Lucius Prime anywhere on your star chart?â€

â€œYes, Captain,â€ said Tâ€™Pol.

â€œCan you think of any reason why that Ikkaren man would mistake our ship for another Enterprise?â€

Tâ€™Pol thought for a moment.

â€œIâ€™ve heard of pirate vessels adopting the name of other ships and masquerading as them in order to safely navigate regions of space. No doubt this ship has done something similar.â€

Jon considered this. It was the most likely explanation.

â€œThat Ikkaren didnâ€™t seem to worried about the other Enterprise robbing him. But suddenly I have an urge to visit this Lucius Prime colony. Set a course, Travis.â€

Jon shook his head. He knew this mission was going to be strange, but he hadnâ€™t expected to meet a Doppleganger of his own ship.

****

Lucius Prime was normally a sleepy colony on the edge of Ikkaren space, its major business being tourism and the scientific study of its unusual rock formations. But once a year, it hosted the biggest music and art festival in the region of space, welcoming artists and musicians from all the nearby colonies. The festival also drew nearly a half a million visitors to the small planet. The normally quiet orbit over the colony became crowded with starships and transports. Over the years, the colony had developed a business of repairing and cleaning the ships while their crews and passengers - mostly young people - were down on the surface enjoying the party.

Dr. Elizabeth Tucker took a deep breath in the halls of the NX-01 Enterprise and thought the cleaning crew couldnâ€™t come soon enough. She may have been two thirds human, but her one quarter Vulcan nose could still smell the party that had been raging for the entire week while Enterprise transported a group from Beta-X to the festival. Sure, the ship was over a hundred years old - but it didnâ€™t need to smell like it did.

â€œMiss. . .â€ said the Ikkaren head of the Ikkaren cleanup crew, â€œWeâ€™d really like to get started. As instructed, weâ€™ll be careful of the animals in your sickbay.â€

â€œThatâ€™s Dr. Tucker,â€ said Lizzie, â€œAnd thank you. Remember, Captain Archer wants you to contact me if anything goes wrong. Iâ€™m just going to be at the Ellysian Hotel for the duration of the festival.â€

â€œNot going out into the wilds with the rest of your crew, doctor?â€ asked the man.

Lizzie smiled. She may have looked young, and in fact she was young, but she was not up for the hedonism of the Lucian Prime festival.

â€œSomebodyâ€™s got to be on duty to treat all the sick and. . hung over Beta-X ers - and since Iâ€™m the doctor its going to be me,â€ said Lizzie.

The Ikkaren man looked Lizzie up and down, wishing his doctor looked more like her. She appeared very much like the humans, with small hands and pink skin, but her ears were pointed and her eyebrows more slanted. Those ears stuck through a main of dark hair - not Ikkaren black, but still very pretty. She also had amazing green eyes, a shade he had never seen in a human or Ikkaren.

â€œWeâ€™ll have sickbay ready in twenty-four hours, should you need it,â€ the man said.

â€œIf you need to contact my captain,â€ said Lizzie, â€œContact me. I can get in touch with her, if need be.â€

Lizzie hoped the man honored her wishes. Karyn Archer wasnâ€™t just her captain, but her best friend, and she had told Karyn that it was time for her to take a vacation. Five days without worrying about the erosion of the plasma injectors or buckles in the hull would do her friend a world of good. It was doctorâ€™s orders, and she expected her friend to obey.

Lizzie looked around Enterprise. The Beta-X colony had since built better, faster ships - but she loved this old girl very much. Her grandparents on her fatherâ€™s side and her great-grandparents on her mothers side had been members of the original crew, founders of the Beta-X colony. And her beloved Foremother Tâ€™Pol had told her many stories of the shipâ€™s adventures.

Lizzieâ€™s father, Lorian, had several times suggested that Enterprise be retired to a museum, but Lizzie and her friends Karyn and Alexander had all begged him to let them keep flying the ship. It was meant to explore, not be put on display.

Karyn, great-granddaughter of colony founder and the shipâ€™s first captain, made an ideal choice to be the captain. And after she completed her medical training on Ikkaria, Lizzie could think of no better place to practice than on board, under the command of her best friend. Sure, Lorian had limited the scope of their potential explorations to the area that was still known as the Delphic Expanse, but that had been enough. Over the past year, the young crew had had a great time visiting all manner of worlds and making first contact with several new species.

â€œOh,â€ said Lizzie, â€œBy the way. . .you do know that my father is the Executive Director of the Beta-X colony?â€

The Ikkaren recognized the twinge in the young womanâ€™s voice. In just a few generations, Beta-X had become one of the regionâ€™s most important powers. Lorian, the Executive Director, wielded considerable influence. He got the young doctorâ€™s message - donâ€™t screw us over.

â€œIâ€™ll be at the hotel,â€ said Lizzie, â€œAnyone who wants to find me can find me there.â€

****

Alexander Reed reached down to pull his Captain up over the last rock face of their climb. Karyn was the best pilot he knew, and she had really stepped up in the year she had been made captain of the Enterprise and come into her own. But she was a crap hiker and a worse rock climber. Something about Ikkaren hands, he thought.

â€œThanks, Alex,â€ said Karyn, as she brushed herself off.

Alex was one of a relatively small number of full-blooded humans of the Beta-X colony. His great grandparents had been Hoshi Sato and Joss Hayes on one side and Malcolm Reed and Julia Lynch on the other. Karynâ€™s great-grandmother had been Ikkaren, but she was mostly human as well. Except for those tiny bones and hands - and the ridges down her nose.

â€œNo problem,â€ said Alex, â€œWe should have a good view of the main stage here,â€ he said.

They wanted to make sure they caught the performance by Alexâ€™s brotherâ€™s band - Beta Effect. They had both seen Malcolm, who was the guitarist, perform hundreds of times. But the Lucius Prime Festival was a huge deal, and the human-influenced music of Beta Effect had caught on in both Ikkarian and Xindi colonies.

â€œAre you relaxed yet?â€ asked Alex.

Karyn rolled her eyes.

â€œNo. . .Iâ€™m nervous for Malcolm. I know itâ€™s ridiculous. He does this for a living now. . but thereâ€™s half a million people down there - including a whole party of Xindi insectazoids. I just donâ€™t want him to screw up or choke.â€

Alex shook his head. If Karyn wasnâ€™t so smart about musicians, sheâ€™s probably be Malcolmâ€™s girlfriend. They had always been super-tight.

â€œBy the way, how are the plasma relays? Do you think the crew in orbit will be able to. . .â€

Alex stuck his fingers into his ears.

â€œI canâ€™t hear you. Doctorâ€™s orders. Lizzie told me to make sure you didnâ€™t discuss the ship while on your vacation!â€

Alex was the shipâ€™s engineer, and he and Karyn had also attended flight school together. He was also her first officer, and as such he agreed with Lizzie that Karyn had been far too stressed out lately.

â€œWeâ€™re here to talk about the bands and the drinks and the art-ships and the people. We wonâ€™t talk about our ship. . .â€

Karyn, like any good workaholic, was annoyed. But she nodded.

Just then, the lights down on the main stage shifted. The show was about to begin.

****

All the senior bridge officers, including Trip and Dr. Phlox, had gathered on the bridge. None of them had an explanation for what they were seeing, both on the view screen and on their instruments.

Orbiting the colony of Lucien Prime, among hundreds of other starships and transports, appeared to be the mysterious doppleganger of Enterprise. Even the warp signature was close enough to be a near match. The only difference in the readings was that the other Enterprise seemed to have more wear and tear. The Quantum signature indicated it was the same age as Enterprise, but the actually components of the ship appeared older - over a hundred years older.

Jon knew a little bit about the history of this part of space, as he had been briefed on it for this mission. For centuries, the Delphic Expanse had been plagued by strange anomalies that seemed to defy the laws of physics. Then, about 119 years ago, those anomalies had stopped. There was no known explanation.

â€œTâ€™Pol,â€ said Jon, â€œAny theories?â€

Jon was beginning to think of Daniels and the Temporal Cold War, but he knew his science officer remained skeptical about time travel. He wondered if this was Enterprise but from the future somehow.

â€œNone yet, Captain,â€ said Tâ€™Pol.

The orbiting space station hailed them.

â€œThis is Captain Archer. . .â€

The man on the other end of the comm laughed out loud.

â€œIâ€™m not trying to tell you Beta-Xers how to run your colony or anything. . .but maybe you ought to rethink the naming conventions for your ships. Having two Enterprises. . .with two different Captain Archers is confusing the hell out of my crew. So. . .your ship is clearly in better shape than your sister ship. . we can offer you the basic maintenance package. Your ship will feel like new. Also, our concierge will be happy to direct you to any festival attractions. . .the Beta Effect has already hit the stage, though.â€

Trip looked at Jon and shrugged his shoulders.

â€œWe will probably take you up on that,â€ said Jon and signaled to Hoshi to cut off the comm.

â€œLooks like we do have a mystery on our hands,â€ said Trip.

â€œAnd Iâ€™ll wager weâ€™ll be able to solve it if we find the other Captain Archer,â€ said Jon.

****

A few hours later, Malcolm, Trip, Tâ€™Pol and Jon entered the lobby of a lush hotel on the surface. The space harbor master had said that they could find the doctor of the ship staying at this hotel. He didnâ€™t give them any more information, though, even a name.

â€œSheâ€™s only supposed to be contacted in case of an emergency,â€ said the master, â€œAnd given how pissy she can get. . .youâ€™ll have to go find yourself.â€

Each member of the crew signed in at the desk, and the young Ikkaren woman behind the counter looked at the register.

â€œAre you related to Elizabeth Tucker? Sheâ€™s staying her as well - also from the Enterprise. Itâ€™s such an unusual name, Tucker. I figure you must know each other - especially since you kind of look alike.â€

Trip glanced at the Captain.

â€œSheâ€™s my sister,â€ said Trip, wondering how on Earth his sister, who lived in Florida, had found herself on an alien colony over 100 light years from Earth.

â€œBut you didnâ€™t get the pointed ears,â€ said the desk clerk, â€œYour sister has the most unusual . . .more like yours. . .â€ continued the clerk, gesturing at Tâ€™Pol, â€œAre you also related to Dr. Tucker?â€

â€œNo,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, cooly.

â€œAnyway,â€ said the clerk, â€œLast I saw of her she was headed for the casino. . .you might find her there.â€

The clerk handed them all wrist bands that would unlock their rooms and ordered their luggage taken to their rooms.

â€œThe mystery deepens,â€ said Malcolm, who was starting to being intrigued and amused, when a teenage girl approached him.

â€œExcuse me,â€ she said softly, â€œBut I overheard that your name is Malcolm Reed. . .are you related to the guitarist from Beta Effect? â€œ

Malcolm shook his head.

â€œBecause his name is Malcolm Reed, too. . .and thatâ€™s a total Beta-X colony name, right? So you must know him?â€

â€œIâ€™m afraid Iâ€™m from Earth,â€ said Malcolm.

From the look on her face, Malcolm could tell that the word Earth meant nothing to this young woman.

â€œWell,â€ she said, â€œItâ€™s weird that youâ€™ve never heard of them. . oh, those are my friends, I have to go.â€

The girl bolted away.

****

Lizzie generally didnâ€™t approve of gambling, but her one quarter Vulcan mind was very good at an Ikkaren puzzle game that was popular in the casino. Sure, she had been given a barter allowance by the colony, but she could always use more money while on vacation. And playing XoXo came so easy, it was like minting currency.

In her mind, she counted up the pile of credits on the table and decided that winning any more would draw the attention of the floor manager. The manager could ban anyone from the tables for any reason, including natural logic abilities beyond any Ikkaren.

â€œThank you, gentleman,â€ said Lizzie, as she gracefully left the table. Her father did not approve, but once he had told her that if she did gamble - not to be pressured into staying at the table.

â€œCâ€™mon, beautiful,â€ said the man from which she had won a significant amount of money, â€œGive us a chance. . â€œ

Lizzie leaned over.

â€œThereâ€™s no chance, ever. Of anything,â€ she said and headed off to the gallery on the second floor. Earlier she had spied a bracelet, handmade by an Xindi Arboreal that she coveted, and now she could buy it.

She slipped up the stairs and into the shop.

Jon, who was wandering around the first floors of the hotel looking for clues, thought she was Tâ€™Pol from the corner of his eye. The young woman had a similar body type and grace as his first officer, and her pointed ears stuck out from her long hair. But she was more human, somehow. And she was wearing very human-type clothes, including a a long knitted sweater and black leggings. And she was smiling and joking with the clerk at the jewelry store.

The clerk handed Lizzie a bag and she turned to leave, bumping straight into a figure from her history books.

She stopped, and she froze.

â€œHello,â€ said Jon, reaching out his hand. â€œIâ€™m Jonathan Archer.â€

Lizzie felt her mouth drop open just a little. She called on every bit of emotional control ever taught to her by her grandmother. She wouldnâ€™t have been more shocked if she had seen Alexander the Great or Cleopatra standing there.

She reached out and took Jonâ€™s hand. He looked into her eyes, and he saw Tâ€™Polâ€™s eyes. She may have had his chief Engineerâ€™s last name, but Jon bet that this woman was somehow related to Tâ€™Pol. How, he had no idea.

â€œYou might find this hard to believe,â€ the woman said, â€œBut I recognize you, Captain.â€

â€œThen, you have me at a disadvantage,â€ said Jon.

Lizzie looked around.

â€œI think I need to sit down. . .thereâ€™s a bar this way. And I think I need a drink. Youâ€™ll probably need one, too, after I explain.â€

She led Jon to a cozy bar up a flight of stairs. It was situated on a balcony overlooking the lobby. Down there, she saw a couple of other people wearing the familiar blue of a Starfleet uniform. She ordered two glasses of Ikkaren tea, the fermented kind and sat down with Jon in the corner.

â€œWhat brings you to the Delphic Expanse, Captain?â€

â€œIâ€™m exploring,â€ he said, â€œNow, may I assume your name is Elizabeth Tucker?â€

Lizzie nodded.

â€œYou assume correctly,â€ she said, â€œBut my friends call me Lizzie. Iâ€™m the shipâ€™s doctor on the other Enterprise. The rest of the crew, including the Captain are off enjoying the festivities.â€

Lizzie considered exploration for a moment. With no Xindi attack, it might be true. But they were a long ways away from where the NX-01 was originally exploring. She guessed there was another reason.

But that wasnâ€™t important right at the moment. Lizzie needed to consider how to tell this man who she was and why there was a 121-year-old version of his ship orbiting this colony.

â€œHave you seen your friend Daniels lately?â€ she asked.

Jon was shocked. He hadnâ€™t expect that question.

â€œThe reason I ask is,â€ said Lizzie carefully, â€œIs that he helped you understand that time travel is possible. And that time travel has consequences . . .to timelines.â€

Jon sipped some of the Ikkaren tea. It was strong.

â€œGo on. .â€

Lizzie inhaled sharply and drank some of her own tea.

â€œBear with me. . .imagine another timeline. At this junction in time but different. There is an attack on Earth. Millions are killed. Nobody understands why. You and your crew are recalled to Earth. The only thing you know is that the attack was by a race called the Xindi, based here in the Delphic Expanse. In that timeline, this region of space is far more dangerous - filled with anomalies that effect both the nature of space and time. . .â€

Jonathan Archer said nothing, but he had an instinct that this woman was telling him the truth, at least as far as she knew it.

â€œTo make a very long story short. Your crew was sent here to stop the Xindi from destroying Earth. During the course of the mission, your ship was sent back in time 119 years. Nevertheless, using information you had gathered - you led your crew on a mission that resulted in the first attack on earth never happening. You destroyed the Delphic Spheres. . .giant devices that were causing the spacial and quantum anomalies. You prevented their builders from co-opting this whole region of space for themselves. . .â€

Lizzie paused. The Jonathan Archer from her history books had saved the entire galaxy, but she thought maybe this Captain Archer might find that hard to believe. She thought it best to downplay his accomplishments.

â€œSo anyway,â€ continued Lizzie trying to sound like the story she as telling was perfectly normal, â€œAfter the spheres were destroyed, you and your crew realized you couldnâ€™t return to Earth or you would corrupt history. So, you settled on Beta-X. Itâ€™s a Minshara class planet about seven light years from here. The main city had been pretty much abandoned because of a political situation on the Ikkaren home world. You and your crew, along with some Ikkarens you met along the way, settled there.â€

Jon looked at this woman. If it was true, it started to explain her name. That meant she was related to Trip. Jon saw a little of that in the shape of her eyes and her mouth - and the very human coloring of her pink skin. No green tinge there. But those green eyes and pointed ears - he knew where those had to have come from.

â€œSo. . .â€ he said, â€œYouâ€™re part Vulcan?â€

Lizzie smiled. Not very Vulcan, thought Jon.

â€œCommander Tâ€™Pol was my grandmother. . .and Commander Tucker was my grandfather,â€ she said.

â€œOn the same side?â€ asked Jon.

Lizzie nodded in the affirmative.

â€œMy maternal great-grandparents were Ensign McFarland and Crewman Peters. So, Iâ€™m one quarter Vulcan, three quarters human. My father is the executive director of the colony. Heâ€™s half-Vulcan. . .so heâ€™s been around longer than most anyone. .youâ€™ll have to stop by for a visit. â€œ

Jon grinned. He couldnâ€™t imagine a scenario that would lead to his two senior officers producing a child. On a good day, he was lucky if they got along.

â€œExcuse me if I find this hard to believe. . .â€

â€œJoin the club,â€ said Lizzie, â€œI nearly fainted when I recognized you. But. . .I understand. Iâ€™m sure Phlox can perform a DNA test that confirms my story.â€

Lizzie gulped the rest of her tea.

â€œExcuse me for a moment,â€ she said.

She flipped open her communicator.

â€œCaptain Archer, itâ€™s Lizzie, remember when I told you not to call in unless it was important? Itâ€™s important. Contact me as soon as you get this,â€ she said and then turned to Jonathan, â€œThatâ€™s our Captain Archer. Sheâ€™s your great-granddaughter. I convinced her she needed a vacation and not to call in until next week. Ship doctorâ€™s prerogative. . . .but you should be proud. Sheâ€™s a great Captain. Weâ€™ve explored all over this region of space in the last year. Before the new ships and defense systems were built, Enterprise was the main defense for the Beta-X - but since thatâ€™s taken care of now, sheâ€™s a vessel of exploration again.

Jon didnâ€™t know what to think. The young womanâ€™s story explained everything - her name, her ears. . .the presence of another Enterprise with another Captain Archer. But he was skeptical.

â€œSeriously. . .â€ said Lizzie, â€œYou can take me up to see Phlox and he can compare my DNA to my relatives. Heâ€™ll confirm what I say is true. . .plus Iâ€™d like to thank him, his medical logs have been invaluable to me.â€

Jon still looked incredulous. Lizzie started rolling through everything she knew about Jonathan Archer - and not from the history books either.

â€œWell,â€ she said, â€œI do know about the time you and my grandmother were held hostage and the Andorians rescued you. Oh. . .and I know about the mission to retrieve the rogue Vulcan agent that you helped her with. . and I know about how she went with you to discover the Robinson nebula, after your friend A.G. Robinson was killed climbing Mt. Mckinley. . .â€

Jonathan was starting to feel a little creep-ed out. He raised his hands.

â€œOkay, okay. . .weâ€™ll go see Phlox,â€ he said.

Just then, Lizzieâ€™s communicator pinged.

â€œExcuse me, maybe thatâ€™s Karyn. . .this is Dr. Tucker.â€

â€œDr. Tucker. Weâ€™ve got Malcolm Reed here. . .he ingested something after the show and now heâ€™s sick. Heâ€™s insisting you treat him. Weâ€™ve beamed him straight up to your sickbay.â€

â€œIâ€™m not even there,â€ she replied, â€œThatâ€™s ridiculous. . .â€

â€œWeâ€™ll you better get there,â€ said the man.

â€œVery well,â€ said Lizzie, â€œCare to make quick stop on my Enterprise, captain?â€

â€œIâ€™m assuming thatâ€™s not my Malcolm Reed.â€

â€œAssume right. This Malcolm Reed is your Malcolm Reedâ€™s great-grandson. And from what Iâ€™ve read they are nothing alike. Our Malcolm is a walking bundle of Id - neither repressed or polite. So. . .care to join?â€

Jon nodded carefully. He wasnâ€™t sure this was a good idea, but his curiosity got the best of him.

Lizzie flipped open her communicator.

â€œThis is Doctor Tucker, two to beam up to my sickbay. And make sure its the right Enterprise - the one from Beta-X.â€

In a few seconds, Jon found himself in Enterpriseâ€™s sickbay. Except is wasnâ€™t his Enterpriseâ€™s sickbay - it was somehow more worn and there werenâ€™t as many creatures. There were a few, though.

Lizzie walked over to a young man, clearly human, lying on a bio bed. He was scruffy and dark haired, wearing black boots and worn clothes. He looked very much like he could be a musician.

â€œHow are you Malcolm?â€

â€œUgh,â€ he said and sat up, â€œSome girl dosed me with . . .something. I think its a hallucinogen of some kind. . .damn, itâ€™s a good one. Iâ€™m seeing Captain Jonathan Archer standing right over there. Weird...I should get more of this stuff.â€

â€œLet me know if you see George Washington or Zephram Cochran next,â€ said Lizzie as she administered a hypospray, â€œYouâ€™ll sleep for the next few hours. Donâ€™t leave this sickbay unless you have permission from me. Ping me. Iâ€™m serious, Malcolm.â€

The young man nodded and then went into a deep sleep.

â€œJackass. He probably wonâ€™t remember that conversation,â€ said Lizzie, â€œAnd Iâ€™ll have you should know he and his friends are responsible for that alcohol stench in the hall. Our Captain Archer has a soft spot for him...and his friends. Itâ€™s an unusual lapse in judgement. . .but we all have our weaknesses.â€

Jon was still taking in the walls and lights and sensations of this different Enterprise.

â€œDo you want to walk around?â€ she asked, â€œI should probably send a subspace message to my father. Iâ€™ll wager theyâ€™ve gotten word at Beta X of another Enterprise floating around. â€œ

â€œI need to get you to Phlox,â€ said Jon, â€œThough he was starting to believe her story more and more. . .but I wouldnâ€™t mind taking a look at the bridge. Shouldnâ€™t you not leave your patient alone?â€

Lizzie looked down at the younger Malcolm.

â€œIf he were sick, I wouldnâ€™t leave him. Heâ€™s drunk and or high. And he just needs to sleep it off in quiet. Believe it or not, I trust him. We grew up together.â€

Lizzie and Jon walked together through the halls and up the turbo lift to the bridge. Lizzie seated herself at the comm and composed a message. Meanwhile, out of instinct, Jon sat in the Captainâ€™s chair.

â€œFather - Enterprise NX-01 of this timeline has entered the Expanse. Crew, including Captain Archer, remains much the same. Will send them to Beta-X, if you wish. Love, Lizzie.â€

â€œMy father knew you quite well,â€ she said, â€œIâ€™m sure heâ€™ll want to say hello again, even if you arenâ€™t exactly the man he knew. You groomed him to take over the colony after you. ..were dead,â€ Lizzie said, awkwardly.

â€œThis is very strange,â€ he said.

â€œI canâ€™t argue with that,â€ said Lizzie, â€œIs Phlox aboard your Enterprise? We could beam directly over.â€

â€œLetâ€™s go,â€ said Jon.

****

A mere half hour later, Lizzie sat on the edge of Phloxâ€™s bio bed, looking at scans of her own DNA as well as scans of her ancestorâ€™s DNA.

â€œAmazing,â€ said Phlox, â€œI figured out a way to combine Vulcan and Human DNA. . .itâ€™s supposedly impossible.â€

â€œYou also figured out how to combine human and Denobulan and human and Ikkaren. There are many, many hybrid people running around Beta-X,â€ said Lizzie.

â€œWhatâ€™s it like?â€ asked Jon.

â€œItâ€™s beautiful,â€ said Lizzie, â€œThe main city is right on an small, salt water ocean. Thereâ€™s now nearly 40,000 residents, and close to 100,000 on the whole planet. There are schools and government buildings and a hospital and a cultural center. There are farms out on the edges of the city. The main industries are mineral mining - thereâ€™s actually a substance that is very useful in creating high efficiency warp engines embedded in the rocks on Beta-X. Itâ€™s proved to make our colony quite wealthy.â€

Jon and Phlox both appeared amazed. This was a very peculiar turn of events.

â€œI think Commander Tâ€™Pol is going to have rethink her position on time travel,â€ said Phlox.

â€œWell,â€ said Lizzie, â€œIf she can come up with another explanation for my existence, Iâ€™d sure like to hear it.â€

Lizzieâ€™s communicator pinged again.

â€œThis is Dr. Tucker,â€ said Lizzie.

â€œLizzie, what is happening? Why are you up on Enterprise?â€

â€œIâ€™m not on our Enterprise,â€ responded Lizzie, â€œIâ€™m on the one from this timeline. The one that just came from Earth.â€

â€œNow youâ€™re just being weird. Whatâ€™s really going on?â€

â€œIâ€™m telling you the truth, Karyn.â€

â€œWhy are they here? Why are they out this far? Have you seen them?. ..â€ there was a long pause.

â€œJust stay calm. Talk to Alex about it, and I think you two should get back to our Enterprise at least. Wait, no. . .scratch that. Meet me at the hotel as soon as you can get there.â€

â€œWill do,â€ said Karyn, skepticism evident in her voice.

â€œShe probably thinks Iâ€™m pranking her or something,â€ said Lizzie, â€œAlthough Iâ€™ve always tried to stay out of those kinds of flight school games.â€

Just then, Hoshi Sato entered sickbay. She wasnâ€™t one of the landing party, and she knew nothing of the identity of the young woman sitting on Phloxâ€™s biobed.

â€œHi Captain,â€ said Hoshi curiously.

â€œHi Hoshi,â€ said Jon, â€œThis is Lizzie. Sheâ€™s from the other Enterprise. Sheâ€™s the shipâ€™s doctor.â€

â€œItâ€™s a long story,â€ said Lizzie, staring at yet another person from her history books. Hoshi had Alexâ€™s eyes. Or rather, Alex had her eyes.

Hoshi looked surprised, but she said nothing.

â€œI need to return to the surface,â€ said Jon, â€œI havenâ€™t told any of my officers that are the surface where I am. Care to join me, Lizzie?â€

Lizzie nodded.

â€œI wouldnâ€™t miss it,â€ she said, â€œBut Iâ€™m going to have to insist we transport. Iâ€™m far too impatient to take a shuttle.â€

****

Jon contacted his away team and told them to meet him in the lobby of the hotel.

â€œWhere have you been, Captain?â€ said Tâ€™Pol, clearly irritated at the breach of protocol as well as Jonâ€™s disappearance.

â€œSolving the mystery of the other ship,â€ said Jon.

Once Trip, Malcolm and Tâ€™Pol gathered around him, Jon tried to explain the whole story.

Tâ€™Pol immediately proved skeptical.

â€œThe Vulcan Science Directorate has said that Time Travel is impossible,â€ she said. Jon heard ice in her voice.

â€œGood for them,â€ said Jon, â€œAnd Iâ€™d like to hear there explanation for the duplicate 100 plus year old Enterprise thatâ€™s orbiting this planet. Or the young woman Iâ€™ve spent the last couple of hours with that carries genetic markers from more than one of my crew members.â€

Trip thought for a moment.

â€œElizabeth Tucker?â€ he said.

â€œYour granddaughter,â€ said Jon, â€œPhlox confirms it. Sheâ€™s the doctor on the other Enterprise.â€

â€œIâ€™ll be damned,â€ said Trip. It hadnâ€™t yet clicked with him why his granddaughter might have pointed ears and resemble Commander Tâ€™Pol.

â€œCaptain,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, â€œWe must consider the possibility that this is some kind of elaborate deception.â€

â€œI was on the ship Tâ€™Pol. Itâ€™s Enterprise. A beat-up Enterprise, to be sure, but that is my ship,â€ said Jon.

Malcolm folded his arms.

â€œWhat did this young woman tell you about the Xindi?â€

Jon looked around. Only Tâ€™Pol, Trip and Malcolm knew the real reason why Enterprise had journeyed into this part of space.

â€œShe said that in the other timeline, The Xindi had attacked Earth. That we came to stop them from destroying our planet. In that timeline, these Sphere Builders convinced the Xindi that we were the deadly threat to them. . .and they sent a weapon to destroy us.â€

All of the officers looked at each other. They had been sent into this region of space searching for answers about the Xindi. Because according to an inter-dimensional being that had contacted Starfleet Command - the Xindi were a grave threat to Earth and only a preemptive strike against them could save the budding coalition.

High ranking members of the Starfleet Command had been skeptical. Skeptical enough to send Enterprise into the Delphic Expanse to discover who the Xindi were and why they might want to destroy humanity. But Starfleet command had been spooked enough and taken the warning seriously enough to begin construction on a bioweapon that would destroy any Xindi that came near Earth.

â€œI never trusted that . . .creature,â€ said Malcolm.

â€œThatâ€™s why we were sent here,â€ said Jon, â€œTo find out the truth.â€

Trip shook his head.

â€œWe need to contact Starfleet and tell them to halt production on that bio-weapon. It sounds like these Xindi are just pawns. . .and since that didnâ€™t work out on the other timeline, these sphere builders are trying to use us as the pawns this time.â€

Tâ€™Pol began tapping on her PADD. It took her a few moments, but she was decrypting some important data.

â€œStarfleet may find that premature,â€ she said, â€œBut I have other evidence that might convince them.â€

She showed the image on the PADD to the others. It was a giant sphere, nearly sixteen miles wide.

â€œThis appeared in Vulcan space about a year ago,â€ she said, â€œThe High Command has been keeping it highly classified. The science directorate believe the sphere emits gravetron radiation that has begun to cause spacial anomalies.â€

â€œIâ€™ll be damned,â€ said Malcolm.

â€œIt sounds like these sphere builders are trying the process in reverse this time. Instead of having the Xindi attack Earth, they are trying to get us to attack these Xindi,â€ said Jon.

â€œBut it wonâ€™t work,â€ said Malcolm, â€œWe wonâ€™t take their bait.â€

****

Outside the hotel, Lizzie saw Karyn and Alex cross the street toward her. She waived.

â€œYou wonâ€™t believe it,â€ said Lizzie, â€œIâ€™ve just spent the last two hours with Jonathan Archer. And not the old man I knew when I was little. He and his Enterprise are orbiting this planet right now. . .I even met Phlox and Hoshi Sato.â€

â€œWhoa. .â€ said Alex, â€œThatâ€™s insane. Totally insane.â€

Karyn peered into the lobby of the hotel. She didnâ€™t yet believe her great grandfather would be standing inside.

â€œTheir timeline is different. No Xindi attack.. .so I donâ€™t know what they are doing this far out,â€ said Lizzie.

Karyn racked her brain to remember the history lessons of her youth. Everyone knew about the Xindi attack, but she couldnâ€™t remember what happened right before them. She guessed that would have been when the timelines diverged.

â€œAll right people,â€ said Alex, â€œI donâ€™t feel equipped to deal with this. We need to get your dad involved, Lizzie. And your grandmother.â€

Lizzie nodded.

â€œSheâ€™s going to be shocked,â€ said Lizzie, â€œI donâ€™t think she ever even considered this possibility.â€

â€œStrange, running into the younger you,â€ said Alex.

Alex doesnâ€™t know the half of it. Lizzie knew things about her grandmother that no one else, even her own father, did not know. She knew that exposure to Trellium-D had damaged her grandmotherâ€™s emotional control and all that that had led to. But none of that would ever happen, now. Lizzie thought that the woman inside the hotel would be a very different person than the Tâ€™Pol she knew.

â€œI sent a message to Father,â€ said Lizzie, â€œIâ€m sure heâ€™ll consult with grandmother over what to do.â€

Karyn leaned over to Lizzie. She spoke in almost a whisper.

â€œSo whatâ€™s he like?â€

Lizzie thought for a moment.

â€œYouâ€™ve read all his personal logs. And his Captainâ€™s logs. Heâ€™s exactly like he appears to be in that. Only better looking...I think the pictures donâ€™t do him justice.â€

â€œAnd you saw my great grandmother?â€ asked Alex.

â€œJust briefly,â€ responded Lizzie, â€œSheâ€™s adorable. Way more adorable than you.â€

Karyn approached the door nervously.

â€œIâ€™m the Captain,â€ said Karyn, â€œI should go inside.â€

â€œYouâ€™ll do fine,â€ said Lizzie, â€œYouâ€™ve handled everything the last year has thrown at you. Those crazy Ossarian pirates. Those nutty colonists from that gas giant. Those Xindi Aquatics that nearly drowned us all . . .this will be easy compared to all of that.â€

Alex put his hand on Karynâ€™s shoulder.

â€œBut donâ€™t kid yourself, this is highly weird. I mean, not Insectazoid party weird - but pretty weird.â€

Karyn brushed Alex off.

â€œStop joking,â€ she said, â€œThis isnâ€™t funny. Itâ€™s. . .itâ€™s. . â€œ

â€œItâ€™s a little funny,â€ said Lizzie, â€œI mean who else gets to meet live versions of their ancestors? I mean, that could only happen to us Beta-Xers.â€

Karyn put her hands on her hips.

â€œIâ€™m going in. . .â€ she said.

So Karyn strolled into the lobby of the hotel to meet her great grandfather.

****

A few hours later, Karyn had downloaded everything she had on the Delphic Spheres and was showing Jon and Tâ€™Pol all the information. Meanwhile, Alex Reed told Malcolm the abbreviated version of his other life in the other timeline.

â€œSo, you were kind of the king of tragedy and all,â€ said Alex, â€œYou know. Brooded around. But my great-grandmotherâ€™s first husband died in an early pirate attack on the colony. So. . .thatâ€™s how you ended up married to Julia Lynch.â€

Malcolm stared into the eyes of the young man.

â€œAnd Hoshi is your great great grandmother,â€ said Malcolm slowly.

â€œYes,â€ said Alex as he sipped on a generous glass of Ikkaren tea, â€œBut on the other side of the family. She and Major Hayes.â€

Malcolm couldnâ€™t imagine a military presence on Enterprise, but then again he couldnâ€™t imagine an attack that had cost seven million lives, either.

Meanwhile, Trip was pondering his granddaughterâ€™s ears. And his granddaughter, who had not yet specifically explained that she was a quarter Vulcan because Trip & Tâ€™Pol had married and produced her father - knew that the Enterpriseâ€™s chief engineer was good enough at math to figure out that was what had happened.

Lizzie looked over at the exceptionally Vulcan woman helping the Captain Archers with their data. She looked at her great grandfather, who had died before she was born, and saw the warm, funny and brave man that her Tâ€™Pol had described to her. Lizzie felt a bit sad that in this timeline, it was unlikely the two would ever fall in love.

Bummer, she thought. According to her Tâ€™Pol they had been happy for many years.

â€œSo,â€ whispered Lizzie, â€œItâ€™s not like Iâ€™m corrupting a timeline if I tell you what happened. How you and Grandmother over there. . .well, you know. .it must seem very unlikely.â€

This was very awkward, thought Lizzie. Very awkward.

Trip glanced over at Tâ€™Pol. He had come to respect her, even like her. And she was certainly easy on the eyes. . .but he couldnâ€™t imagine falling in love with a Vulcan.

â€œLong story short,â€ said Lizzie, â€œIn that timeline, your sister, my namesake. . .she died in the attack on Earth. It threw you into a deep depression. You couldnâ€™t sleep. Phlox was afraid youâ€™d get addicted to the sedatives you kept asking for . . .and so Grandmother started helping you sleep using a Vulcan technique...well...one thing led another. Here I am more than a century later,â€ finished Lizzie.

Most of all, Trip was relieved that he knew his sister was was safe and sound back in Florida. He couldnâ€™t imagine losing her or what it would do to him. But the notion that a series of events could lead him and Tâ€™Pol to. . .well, that was tough to believe. But the proof was standing before him.

â€œYou seem pretty young,â€ said Trip.

â€œVulcans have a long life span. . .so my Dad in his 90s when he when he had me,â€ said Lizzie, â€œIâ€™ve got two older brothers.â€

â€œSo, weâ€™ve never met before,â€ said Trip.

â€œNo. Iâ€™ve seen pictures. I knew Captain Archer a little bit...but he lived well into his hundreds. Longer than most of the originals, even the younger ones.â€

Meanwhile, Karyn had told Jon everything she knew about the spheres.

â€œYou really need to go see Lizzieâ€™s father,â€ she said, â€œHe knows more than anything. I mean, he doesnâ€™t remember the attack. . .but he knows. We can take you there. Except that most of my crew wonâ€™t return until next week. . .I could try and get most of them back. . .but it wonâ€™t be easy.â€

Alex piped up.

â€œDonâ€™t be silly. Youâ€™ll just freak everyone out anyway. We can get to Beta-X and back before Monday. Weâ€™ll just tag along on new Enterprise.â€

Karyn shook her head.

â€œIâ€™m not leaving my ship. . .â€

â€œIt will be fine,â€ chimed in Lizzie, â€œWeâ€™ll have the Space Dock Master take good care of it. Just one thing. . .Malcolm. .our Malcolm is sleeping something off in sickbay. But Iâ€™ll just arrange to dump him in a hotel suite here. . the hotel will be happy to have him. That way he can get back to his friends if he needs to. . .Alex, heâ€™s your brother, go take care of it.â€

Karyn nodded. She didnâ€™t like leaving her ship, but this was important. In fact, she had already gotten the impression that this was far more important that anything she had ever done.

â€œSo,â€ said Karyn, â€œIf youâ€™ll allow the three of us to tag along, we can take you to our colony. I have to get back by next week - but weâ€™ll be able to take one of the faster transports back. It will all work out.â€

****

And so it was that Alex, Karyn and Lizzie boarded the brand new, by their standards, Enterprise and gave the Captain directions to Beta-X.

The three colonists huddled in the mess hall, pretending not to notice the stares they were getting. Captain Archer hadnâ€™t yet told the whole crew what was going on or where they were going but rumors inevitably flew.

â€œI canâ€™t believe I left my ship,â€ said Karyn, again.

â€œWhat? Youâ€™d want to miss this Enterpriseâ€™s arrival on Beta-X? Youâ€™ve got to be kidding. Everyone will be fine,â€ said Alex.

Lizzie downed the last of her tea. It wasnâ€™t nearly as good as the Ikkaren kind, but it reminded her of what her grandmother drank.

â€œWell,â€ she said, â€œYou two can go fret about whatâ€™s going to happen. Iâ€™m going to go talk to Phlox. . .itâ€™s not every day you run into one of your heroes. At least one that as far as you are concerned has been dead for forty years.â€

Lizzie jumped up and headed toward sickbay before she go there, she ran smack into Tâ€™Pol.

The woman wasnâ€™t her grandmother, and she never would be, but Lizzie still couldnâ€™t help thinking of her as such.

â€œHello, Tâ€™Pol,â€ she said, in Vulcan.

â€œYou are. . .Dr. Tucker,â€ replied in English.

Lizzie nodded.

â€œI know it must be strange. Until a few hours ago, you didnâ€™t believe in time travel and you didnâ€™t believe humans and vulcans could produce a child. Itâ€™s probably a lot to take in.â€

Tâ€™Pol clasped her hands behind her back.

â€œThereâ€™s no reason to believe events in my timeline will be anything like the ones that. . .produced your colony.â€

Lizzie searched the Vulcanâ€™s placid face.

â€œYou should know,â€ said Lizzie, â€œThings werenâ€™t easy for you in that timeline.â€

Lizzie looked around to see if anyone was in earshot, then continued.

â€œYou got exposed to this terrible element thatâ€™s deadly to Vulcans. Trellium-D. People used to line the hulls of their ships with it to protect them from the spacial anomalies. But that substance is toxic to Vulcans. It causes massive neural degeneration. You were exposed for just a short time - but as a by product of that exposure, you became addicted. Phlox help you quit, but you never got the emotional control you once had back. . .â€ Lizzieâ€™s voice drifted off.

â€œSo you are saying that my - relationship with Commander Tucker was a result of brain damage.â€

Lizzie thought about that for a moment.

â€œIâ€™m saying that your willingness to put aside everything that made you Vulcan and pursue the feelings you had - that was a result of brain damage. But according to my grandmother, the feelings were always there. It was just your inability to repress them that was different after the Expanse,â€ said Lizzie, â€œBut for the record, you and grandfather were very happy.â€

â€œVulcans arenâ€™t happy,â€ said Tâ€™Pol.

â€œNonsense,â€ said Lizzie and she leaned over Tâ€™Pol and spoke in a whisper, â€œYou donâ€™t express happiness. But I know all about mating bonds and telepathy and how when a Vulcan loves deeply that creates a bond so two people know each others deepest feelings. . .â€

Tâ€™Pol looked very uncomfortable.

â€œItâ€™s not possible for such a bond to form with a human,â€ she said.

â€œOh yes it is,â€ said Lizzie, â€œBecause you and grandfather had it. It shocked you at the time, too. But it was real.â€

Tâ€™Polâ€™s face, which had moments before hinted at emotion, was once again placid.

â€œIâ€™m not telling you what to do with your life, Tâ€™Pol,â€ said Lizzie, â€œBut the you that I grew up with. . .had no regrets. Thatâ€™s all I am saying.â€

Lizzie reached down and pulled out a pendant from beneath her sweater. Tâ€™Pol recognized it as a Vulcan IDIC symbol.

â€œInfinite Diversity in Infinite Combination,â€ she said.

â€œYou had this made for me on my tenth birthday. Kids at school were making fun of my ears,â€ said Lizzie.

Tâ€™Pol examined the pendant, then she examined the face of the young, mostly human woman who looked so much like herself.

â€œYou donâ€™t need to say anything,â€ said Lizzie, and she continued on to sickbay.

****

Meanwhile, Alex and Hoshi had found each other in the mess hall.

â€œSo,â€ she said, â€œI married this big, burly military guy?â€

â€œIâ€™m not sure he was that big,â€ said Alex, â€œBut Iâ€™m pretty sure he was burly.â€

Hoshi took a bite of her salad.

â€œThis is all so strange. I canâ€™t imagine.â€

Alex shrugged.

â€œMaybe you should look the guy up when you get back to Earth,â€ said Alex, â€œApparently you two were really happy.â€

Hoshi looked at the young man. Clearly, most of his human ancestors were not Japanese, but something in his jaw and in his eyes reminded her father. She believed that this young man shared DNA with her.

â€œIâ€™m pretty sure that ship has sailed,â€ said Hoshi wistfully, â€œBut I can say Iâ€™m grateful not to have lived in a timeline when 7 million people on Earth died.â€

â€œIt really traumatized everyone,â€ replied Alex, â€œI think thatâ€™s why the other crew worked so hard when they got to Beta-X. They wanted to live good lives, because they knew at anytime. . .well, you are lucky youâ€™ll never have to deal with that.â€

****

Karyn was in Jonâ€™s ready room, showing him pictures of Archer City. Jon wasnâ€™t just impressed, he was amazed at what had been accomplished in just a few generations.

â€œThe other you did well,â€ said Karyn, â€œAnd you should be proud. Even though youâ€™ll never have to do it.â€

Jon looked at the young woman, with the strange ridges on her nose.

â€œYou arenâ€™t entirely human, but youâ€™re not Vulcan or Denobulan. . .â€

â€œYouâ€™re wife was an Ikkaren woman named Essilia,â€ she replied, â€œShe was a transport captain. She became your guide of sorts. . .and well, you know how things go. And Ikkarens are interesting people, if I do say so myself.â€

Jon smiled. Long ago, in another timeline, he was living a totally different life. He was falling in love with an alien woman and founding a colony. And saving the galaxy, apparently.

â€œWeâ€™ll give you the help you need to destroy those spheres,â€ said Karyn, â€œItâ€™s what you need to do now - in this timeline.â€

Jon thought about that, very grateful that Admiral Forrest had them them come to this region of space, let them come find out about these Xindi. In they hadnâ€™t, it might be the humans who had killed millions without cause.

Karyn was not a mindreader, but she was intuitive.

â€œI donâ€™t think humans would ever have done what the Xindi did - at least not humans from your era. Youâ€™re here because humans know better than to commit genocide based on a story told by a stranger. . .the Xindi, Iâ€™ve got no problems with them as individuals, but their society is splintered in a way that humans canâ€™t even comprehend. No. . .the sphere builders had a much better chance in the other timeline, it failed. Now youâ€™ll make it fail in this one, too.â€

****

Lorian stood at his window, over-looking bustling Archer City. It was clean and safe and prosperous. He was proud of what Jonathan Archer, his parents and the rest of the crew were seeing. It hadnâ€™t always been easy in those first years, when Lorian was just a boy. Once the colony proved prosperous, there wasnâ€™t a pirate or despot in the area that hadnâ€™t taken it upon his or herself to conquer Beta X. But they had fought all comers and won.

Now, Lorian had the two men he most admired sitting in his office. Jonathan Archer and Charles Tucker III. It was surreal, seeing his late father as a young man, younger than he was now - even in Vulcan years.

â€œItâ€™s amazing,â€ said Trip, â€œI see my father in you around the eyes. Now the ears, those are your motherâ€™s.â€

Lorian smiled. That sounded exactly like his father.

â€œIâ€™m glad you got to meet Lizzie,â€ he said, â€œSheâ€™s quite a young woman. And a great doctor. But now its down to business . . .do you have any questions about the calibrations on the phase canons. Those are key. . .if you donâ€™t compensate for the radiation bursts, youâ€™ll kill yourselves. . .â€

Trip was trying to pay attention, as he knew how important this was. But he kept looking at his son - his and Tâ€™Polâ€™s. He was proud of the man, and Trip felt a pang of sorrow at the notion that he would never get a chance to be the manâ€™s father, to know him as a boy. Even if he and Tâ€™Pol did. . .well, it wouldnâ€™t be the same.

Trip considered Tâ€™Pol for a moment. Heâ€™d always suspected there were worlds of feeling lurking below that cool surface. Heâ€™d never been so vain as to think he could access any of them. But on the other hand, didnâ€™t opposites attract? Tâ€™Pol was certainly an interesting..

â€œTrip,â€ said Jon, â€œI need you to pay attention to this. .â€

â€œYes, Sir.â€

****

Lizzie led Tâ€™Pol down to the beach cottage at the end of the city. Tâ€™Pol immediately found the house lovely, with its perfectly manicured and logically planted gardens.

â€œWhy have you brought me here?â€ she asked the young woman.

â€œSomeone wants to see you,â€ said Lizzie, who pointed to an old woman standing at the back wall of the house, â€œIâ€™ll be back here.â€

Tâ€™Pol realized that she was looking at an elderly version of herself. It was both alarming and comforting to know she had lived so long. The woman turned around.

â€œHello, Tâ€™Pol,â€ said the older woman.

â€œHello,â€ she replied.

â€œIâ€™m afraid I was just curious to meet you,â€ she said, â€œItâ€™s not often a person gets to meet the younger version of themselves.â€

â€œItâ€™s not often a person gets to meet an older version of themselves. . .â€

The old woman inhaled sharply. She gestured at a small, garden table - set up for tea. The two women sat down.

â€œIâ€™m sure your wondering how you happened to marry a human,â€ said older Tâ€™Pol.

â€œI suppose I did because it was logical to assume there would be no Vulcans in this part of space at that time,â€ said the younger Tâ€™Pol, â€œSo a human was my only option.â€

â€œNonsense. You know that is nonsense. Most people, including Lizzie, think I lost control of my emotions when we entered the Expanse. Thatâ€™s true. But what they donâ€™t know is how much my emotions had been eroding because of the Paâ€™Nar Syndrome and because of spending so much time with humans. . .â€

Tâ€™Pol looked around. Very few people knew of her illness.

â€œThe emotions. . .they are like the flame and you are the moth.â€

The younger woman said nothing.

â€œYouâ€™ll never be the same as you were,â€ said the older woman, â€œDo yourself a favor and stop trying. You know your place is among humans. Thatâ€™s why youâ€™re still aboard Enterprise when most Vulcans would have left long ago.â€

The younger woman felt faint - this person knew things about her that she told no one, that no one should know.

The older Tâ€™Pol approached the younger. She reached up her hand.

â€œMay I?â€

The woman wanted to meld with her, the younger Tâ€™Pol knew. It was dangerous, but she trusted her. How could she not?

The younger woman nodded.

â€œMy mind to your mind, my thought to your thoughts,â€ whispered the old Tâ€™Pol, who had spent decades perfecting her technique.

Suddenly, the younger Tâ€™Pol knew and felt everything from the other timeline. She felt herself breaking from the high command. She felt herself empathizing with Trip, wanting to help him. She knew the terror of the Seleya. She felt herself being drawn to Tripâ€™s clone and kissing him. She saw herself seducing Trip. She felt her heart break as Jonathan left the ship to die. She felt herself unraveling. . .then quiet. The bond with Trip. Lorianâ€™s birth. The incident with Thoren. It all existed in her mind, almost as if she had dreamed it.

â€œI just wanted you to know,â€ said the older Tâ€™Pol, â€œNo matter what you choose.â€

The older woman then reached up her hand and gave the familiar salute.

â€œLive Long and Prosper, Tâ€™Pol. You deserve it.â€

****

Malcolm, Hoshi and Travis spent the day wandering around Archer City. For a city only over a hundred years old, it certainly had its charms. All three of them felt proud of what their other selves had helped accomplish here.

â€œIâ€™ve got over 83 relatives here,â€ said Travis, â€œItâ€™s unbelievable.â€

â€œPhlox has over a 220,â€ said Hoshi, â€œHe and this Amanda had nine children.â€

Malcolm looked around. Karyn had told him the story of her great, great Aunt. The sorrow of her murder. It was hard to imagine that he had suffered that way, in that other time and place. But then, he wondered if that other self had been more alive that he ever had been.

Looking around, he resolved not to live a life of loneliness. He knew now that he could suffer tremendous loss and heal from that loss and move forward. That gave him strength. He thought about the pretty Crewman Lynch. . .there was certainly possibility there.

****

The younger Tâ€™Pol headed toward the shuttle that was taking everyone back to Enterprise. Captain Archer felt he had enough information to justify returning to Earth, even though that had only met two Xindi, and that was there at the colony. The sphere and their makers were the real enemy, and they now had the means to fight them.

Tâ€™Pol heard footsteps behind her. Trip soon caught up with her.

â€œSo,â€ he said, â€œDid you spend any time with our son? Heâ€™s a good kid,â€ said Trip.

â€œHeâ€™s over a hundred years old,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, â€œHeâ€™s hardly a good kid . . .but he is a good man.â€

Trip smiled at her. That was just like Tâ€™Pol.

â€œIt is. . .interesting to know that of all the options on the ship that you and I choose to have him,â€ she continued.

Trip inwardly laughed at her Vulcan delicacy, but he had to agree with her. The idea of them together wasnâ€™t exactly logical. Maybe thatâ€™s why it had started to appeal to him so much.

â€œJust think,â€ he said, â€œYou and I were the first Vulcan and Human to have a child.â€

Tâ€™Pol shook her head.

â€œIt wasnâ€™t us,â€ she said, â€œIt was other versions of us, under radically different circumstances.â€

â€œTrue,â€ said Trip as he whispered in her ear, â€œBut itâ€™s fun to know, isnâ€™t it, that under radically different circumstances, we could fall in love.â€

Fall in love, thought Tâ€™Pol. A typical human phrase, describing love as something that could do you damage. What else could happen when you fell? But she remembered, also. That feeling of falling.

â€œWe had our. . honeymoon in Cargo Bay 3. Captain Archer had water installed and you created a makeshift beach,â€ said Tâ€™Pol, still remembering.

â€œDid I?â€ said Trip, curiously. â€œWhat else do you know?â€

They were approaching the shuttlepod. Tâ€™Pol certainly wasnâ€™t going to give any more details in front of the crew.

â€œPerhaps Iâ€™ll tell you more at another time,â€ said Tâ€™Pol cooly.

As they climbed into the shuttlepod, Trip resolved to take her up on that.

****

The two Captain Archers said goodbye. As Jonathan looked at the young woman who had worked to save Enterprise from mothballs and captained her on a whole series of adventures, he could not have been more proud if she had been his own daughter.

Behind her, he looked at Lizzie and Alex, two other children of Enterprise. They were young. . .and unusual in their ways, but they were also remarkable. Humans living and thriving so far from home, intermarrying with aliens and creating their own hybrid culture. It was a future that looked bright.

â€œGoodbye, Captain,â€ said Jon.

â€œGoodbye, Captain,â€ said Karyn â€œAnd Good Luck. If you need anything, ever, you know where to find us. Weâ€™re family. Remember that.â€

Jon hugged the woman goodbye and boarded the shuttle. He knew what he had to do, and he knew he could do it.


End file.
